Class 
Book 




Copyright Is". 



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Wt 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 



PauFs Companions 



By 

David James Burrell, D.D., LL.D. 

Author of "Paul's Campaigns," "The Apostles' Creed," 

"We Would See Jesus/' "The Old-Time Religion,'* 

"At the Gate Beautiful," "The Cloister 

Book," "The Resurrection and the 

Life Beyond," etc. 




American Tract Society 

Park Avenue and 40th Street 
New York 



^s 



^.f^ 

^s 



COPYRIGHT, 192 I, BY 
AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY 



THE PLIMPTON PRESS • NOEWOOD * MASS • U * S • A 



JUN -3 1921 

g)CI,A6171S8 



i 

o 

^ PREFACE 



I HAVE been reading ^^ Pilgrim's Prog- 
ress'' again, and wondering if the Bedford 
tinker borrowed Ms dramatis personce 
from the Book of Acts. In any case they 
look alike, as we shall see. Of course Paul 
leads the way : 

'Then I saw that Christian kept on before, who had 
no more talk but with himself, and that sometimes 
sighingly and sometimes comfortably; also that he 
would be often reading in the roll which one of the 
Shining Ones gave him.'' 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Barnabas: "A Good Man^^ 3 

II. John Mark: The Youth who Flinched 21 

III. Silas: A Singer 37 

IV. Timothy: "The Gentle Boy of Lystra'' 51 
V. Luke: "The Beloved Physician" 63 

VI. Lydia: The Purple-Seller 73 

VII. Aquila and Priscilla 85 

VIII. Apollos: "Mighty in the Scriptures".. 103 

IX. " One Mnason of Cyprus " 117 

X. Epaphroditus : Comrade in Arms 127 

XII. SosTHENEs: "My Brother" 155 

XIII. Titus: "My Partner" 167 

XIV. Phcebe: The '' Deaconess " 177 

XV. A Body Guard 187 



BAENABAS: ''A GOOD MAN" 



Then said Evangelist, pointing with his finger over 
a very wide field, '^Do you see yonder wicket-gate?" 
The man said, ^^No.'' Then said the other, ^^Do you 
see yonder shining light?'^ He said, ^^I think I do." 
Then said Evangelist, "Keep that light in your eye." 



BARNABAS: "A GOOD MAN 



5? 



The name means ^^son of consolation," by 
which we are given to understand that this 
man had a warm heart and an open hand. 
Here are some of the things we know about 
him. 

I. He Was a Communist 

The first reference to him is in Acts 4: 
32-37 : 

'^And the multitude of them that believed were of 
one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them 
that aught of the things which he possessed was his 
own; but they had all things common. And with 
great power gave the apostles witness of the resur- 
rection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon 
them all. Neither was there any among them that 
lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or 
houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things 
that were sold and laid them down at the apostles' 
feet: and distribution was made unto every man 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

according as he had need. And Joses. who by the 
apostles was surnamed Barnabas (which is, being in- 
terpreted, the son of consolation), a Levite, and of 
the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it and 
brought the money and laid it at the apostles' ieetJ^ 

The incident referred to occurred A. D. 
30, just after the arrest of Peter and John 
for the healing of the cripple at the Gate 
Beautiful. The two disciples were tried be- 
fore the Sanhedrin, where a Scotch verdict 
was rendered, ^'Innocent; but don't repeat 
it.'' On being let go ^^they went to their 
own company,'' where a praise meeting was 
held: and after that the ^^ community" was 
organized. It was a f oregleam of Utopia as 
it will be realized in the Golden Age. 

One of the important members of this 
community was Barnabas ; who, it appears, 
(1) was a native of Cyprus, (2) whose 
former name was Joses, (3) a man of 
wealth, possessed of ^^ property," (4) of in- 
fluence also as a Levite, (5) and a conspicu- 
ous leader in this movement toward a com- 
munity of goods. 

It would be a serious mistake, however, to 
confuse this with what is known as Com- 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

munism in our time. There are some vital 
points of difference. (1) To begin with, it 
was entirely voluntary. There was no de- 
nial of the rights of property, no confisca- 
tion, no attempt to subvert the social order 
by insisting that ^^ what's yours is mine and 
what's mine's my own," but a cheerful sur- 
render of the possessions of each for the 
benefit of all. (2) Moreover, the distribu- 
tion of the common fund was not general, 
but ^^unto every man according as he had 
need." In other words it was a benevolent 
fund. The church members in Jerusalem 
were a feeble folk like the conies, and many 
of them needed help. (3) Still further, it 
was a purely religious affair. The motive 
of the disciples was ^Ho do good and to com- 
municate/^ ^^ especially unto them who are 
of the household of faith. " They were actu- 
ated by the Christian principle of steward- 
ship. They believed that their possessions, 
whether much or little, were held in trust 
until called for. The time is coming when 
all the Lord's talents will thus be placed at 
his command : then poverty with its attend- 
ant miseries will be a nightmare of the past 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

and the earth will be full of the glory of the 
Lord as the waters cover the sea. 

So then the framing of this community 
in the early Church was not a temporary 
venture into cloudland, but a prophecy of 
the Millennium. It was like a sun-spot on 
the mountains, painted by the light shining 
through a rift of overhanging clouds, as a 
forecast of the splendor of a cloudless day. 
It was the setting in motion of great prin- 
ciples which, murmuring like a subterra- 
nean river, are destined to reappear and 
assert themselves in the ultimate Common- 
wealth of God. 

One of the foremost of these Christian 
communists was Barnabas. He practised 
''the mind that was in Christ Jesus,'' who 
''came not to be ministered unto but to min- 
ister" and "emptied himself" for us. He 
did not offer a tithe but ten tithes of all that 
he possessed, in recognition of the fact that 
he held nothing as his own but everything 
in trust until called for. It is only when a 
Christian thus realizes his stewardship that 
he reaches his full recompense in the saying 
that is written, "All things are yours; 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

whether . . . the world or life or death or 
things present or things to come: all are 
yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is 
God's." 

II. A Gentle-man 

The next mention of Barnabas is ten years 
afterward in connection with Paul's first 
visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. The 
interval between his conversion (a.d. 37) 
and this visit (a.d. 40) had been passed by 
Paul in Arabia (Gal. 1 :17,18) where^ among 
the solitudes, he pursued his theological 
course in preparation for his appointed 
work. Then he went up to Jerusalem ready 
for business; but a cold welcome awaited 
him. The Christians there could not forget 
how, as Chief Inquisitor of the Sanhedrin, 
he had ^^ breathed out threatenings and 
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord." 
The record is on this wise : 

"And when Saul was come to Jerusalem he assayed 
to join himself to the disciples: but they were all 
afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 
But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the 
apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and 
how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name 
of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going 
out at Jerusalem.^' Acts 9: 26-28. 

A rare friend was Barnabas, a true *^son 
of consolation/' How many there are who 
look with suspicion on sinners converted 
from the error of their ways. Paul was 
truly like a man who has served his term in 
Sing Sing ; but blessed be Barnabas, he was 
ready to give him the glad hand and another 
chance. He had two things to say for the 
reformed man; one was that ^^he had seen 
the Lord in the way/' and the other was that 
immediately after his conversion he had 
gone into Damascus and '' preached boldly 
in the name of Jesus" at peril of his life. 
This was enough ; Paul was received into the 
fellowship of the disciples and thereafter 
was with them, ''coming in and going out," 
preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. 

It is related that when John Huss of Bo- 
hemia was on his way to prison, wearing a 
yellow cap covered with devils and hooted 
at by the jostling crowd, he felt a friendly 
hand finding its way to his. Not a word was 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

spoken; but the night before his execution 
the martyr wrote, ' ' God bless John of Chlum 
for that right hand of his ! ' ' Such kindness 
is like a cup of cold water to thirsty lips; 
and ^4t shall in no wise lose its reward." 



III. An Evangelist 

The next reference to Barnabas is three 
years later (a. d. 43). A revival was going 
on at Antioch. It originated with certain of 
those who, being ^^ scattered abroad upon the 
persecution that arose about Stephen" 
(a.d. 37), came to Antioch and brought the 
Gospel with them: ^^and a great number be- 
lieved and turned unto the Lord. '^ The work 
assumed such dimensions that a leader was 
required. Who should it be ? 

'Then tidings of these things came unto the ears 
of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent 
forth Barnabas that he should go as far as Antioch. 
Vl^ho, when he came and had seen the grace of God, 
was glad, and exhorted them all that with purpose of 
heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a 
good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: 
and much people was added unto the Lord." Acts 
11:22-24. 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

And still the blessed work went on. An- 
other helper was needed. Barnabas cast 
about for the right man. John and Peter 
and James and the other apostles were not 
available, being engaged in important fields. 
It occurred to him that Paul might be the 
very one ; but where was he ? 

^Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek 
Saul, and when he had found him he brought him unto 
Antioeh. And it came to pass that a whole year they 
assembled themselves with the church and taught 
much people. And the disciples were called Chris- 
tians first in Antioeh." Acts 11: 25, 26. 

So began the sweet fellowship of these two 
yokefellows which (with a single interrup- 
tion to be noted hereafter) continued for a 
period of nearly twenty years. Next to the 
friendship of Christ himself there is none 
like that of a Christian yokefellow. This is 
the order of service : the Seventy were sent 
out two by two. For so it is written: ^^Two 
are better than one, . . . for if they fall, 
the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to 
him that is alone when he f alleth, for he hath 
not another to help him up.'' A pair of 
Christian friends, sympathizing with each 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

other in their great purpose, are like moun- 
tain-climbers roped together and urging 
their way toward the top. 

''I want a warm and constant friend 
To soothe my adverse hour, 
Who ne'er to flatter will descend, 
Nor bow the knee to power ; 
A friend to chide me when I'm wrong, 
My inmost soul to see ; 
And that my friendship be as strong 
To him as his to me." 



IV. A Missionary 

It is now three years later (a.d. 46) . In 
the meantime the work of Paul and Bar- 
nabas at Antioch had been briefly inter- 
rupted by news that the members of the 
mother church in Jerusalem were suffering 
from famine; whereupon a collection was 
taken among these Gentile Christians for 
their relief and the two evangelists went up 
to Jerusalem to deliver it. On returning to 
Antioch a meeting was held which marked 
the beginning of the great propaganda for 
the conversion of the world. 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

"Now there were in the church that was at Antioch 
certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and 
Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, 
and Manaen which had been brought up with Herod 
the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, 
and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Separate me Barna- 
bas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called 
them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and 
laid their hands on them, they sent them away." 
Acts 13: 1-3. 

In this divine call we find the rationale 
of an enterprise which was destined to 
change the currents and countercurrents of 
all history and set them flowing, just in the 
measure of Christian faithfulness, toward 
the Golden Age. 

Observe, first, these men were ^^ separated 
to go." All followers of Christ are required 
to ^^go'' in like manner, and to keep going 
as witnesses and evangelists of Christ; but 
all are not separated for work in ^^the re- 
gions beyond'' like these men. 

Second, they were not only ^^ separated,'' 
and joined together, but equipped for their 
work. They had faith, courage and the 
charismata, or special gifts of the Spirit for 
the working of ^^ signs and wonders," to but- 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

tress their message. Indeed they had every- 
thing but money. Of this Barnabas had 
none, because he had previously given up all 
his possessions for the relief of needy 
Christians; and as for Paul, he had un- 
doubtedly been ostracised and stripped of 
his birthright when he accepted Christ 
(Phil. 4:16-18). Thus they went forth, ac- 
cording to the Master's injunction, without 
scrip or money in their purse, but strong in 
faith and in the power of the Spirit of God. 

V. A Pacifist 

The first missionary journey was over and 
the two yokefellows had returned to Antioch 
with a good report as to the conquests of 
faith. But there was a disturbance in the 
church owing to the fact that certain of the 
Jewish converts were insisting that the Gen- 
tiles must not be received into the church 
without conforming to the rites and cere- 
monies of the Levitical law. A Council was 
called to meet at Jerusalem for the settle- 
ment of the question : and Paul and Barna- 
bas went up. They both addressed the Coun- 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

cil in the interests of peace, and an amicable 
adjustment was reached, in which, without 
offending the Jews, the rights of the Gen- 
tiles were fully vindicated. 

"And they wrote letters by them after this manner: 
The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting 
unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in An- 
tioch and Syria and Cilicia: Forasmuch as we have 
heard that certain which went out from us have 
troubled you with words, subverting your souls, say- 
ing. Ye must be circumcised and keep the law; to 
whom we gave no such commandment: it seemed 
good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to 
send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas 
and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the 
name of our Lord Jesus Christ/' Acts 15:23-26. 

By this we are advised that Barnabas was 
not only in hearty accord with Paul as to 
the fundamental doctrines of the Gospel but 
that he was irenic in disposition and broad- 
minded enough to ^^ differ and keep sweet/' 



VI. A Vacillator 

The deliverance of the Council was re- 
ceived with joy by the Gentile converts of 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Antioch. But trouble was brewing. In 
Paul's letter to the Galatians, written long 
afterward, lie refers to it in these words : 

"But when Peter was come to Antioch I withstood 
him to the face, because he was to be blamed, for 
before that certain came from James, he did eat with 
the Gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew 
and separated himself, fearing them which were of 
the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled like- 
wise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was 
carried away with their dissimulation.'* Gal. 2: 
11-13. 

The fact is that Peter, with all nis splen- 
did qualities, was the most unstable of the 
apostles. So long as nobody objected he was 
quite happy in the society of the Gentile 
Christians, but when those members of the 
mother church came down from Jerusalem 
he was ready to readjust his sails to the 
shifting wind. And Barnabas, alas! went 
with him. This was more than the brave, 
catholic soul of Paul could stand for. He 
was no waverer, ' ' driven with the wind and 
tossed.'' It is not said, however, that he 
withstood Barnabas to the face, but only 
Peter, because of his ' ' dissimulation. ' ' Bar- 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

nabas was simply ^^led away," being weak; 
but weakness is a sin. A follower of Christ 
should be strong enough to brace himself 
against his principles and let the crowd 
sweep by. 



VII- A Man With a Tempek 

The time had now come (a.d. 51) to re- 
sume the missionary journeys. The wander- 
lust was upon Paul; and he proposed to 
Barnabas, ^^Let us go again and visit our 
brethren in every city where we have 
preached the word of the Lord and see how 
they do. ^' But at this point a serious differ- 
ence arose between them, for 

"Barnabas determined to take with them John, 
whose surname was Mark: but Paul thought not good 
to take him with them, who departed from them from 
Pamphylia and went not with them to the work. And 
the contention was so sharp between them that they 
departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas 
took Mark and sailed unto Cyprus." Acts 15: 37-39. 

The ^^ sharpness'' of this contention is in- 
dicated by the Greek word ^^ paroxysm.'' 
When two strong tempers come into col- 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

lision there is bound to be something of the 
sort unless the grace of God prevents it. 

In this case both men were right. The 
fact was that on the former journey John 
Mark had weakened in the face of danger 
and turned back : but it was also a fact that 
he had recovered his courage and was pre- 
pared to resume the work. Paul and Barna- 
bas, however, were too hot to be reconciled. 
The time would come long afterward (Col. 
4: 10), but not yet, so they parted company. 
Barnabas took his nephew John Mark and 
sailed away to Cyprus, his former home, 
while Paul set out with a new companion in 
another direction, each going his own way. 

VIIL ^^A Good Man'' 

It is comforting for us to know that Bar- 
nabas was not perfect. Nobody is. ''We're 
all John Thomson's bairns." There never 
has lived but one in this world of ours of 
whom it could be said, ''He brought the 
bottom of his life up to the top of his life." 
He is our Exemplar. We make a grave mis- 
take when we imitate anybody but Christ. 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

The Bible is our copy book in which the 
Teacher writes : ^^If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himself and take up his 
cross and follow me/' We begin by writing 
a line as nearly as possible like him. Then 
instead of looking at the Master's line we 
are naturally disposed to copy our own and 
to keep on doing so. The result is that 
whereas our handwriting should constantly 
improve in growing more like His, it is 
likely to go from bad to worse by the re- 
peating of our own faults. Where is the 
remedy? Get back to the original copy! 
That is, '^Remember the words of the Lord 
Jesus, how he said — ' ' 

The secret of a happy and useful life is 
in keeping our eyes on Him who is the 
author and finisher of our faith. So shall 
we finally arrive at ^^the measure of the 
stature of the fulness of Christ." 



18 



II 



JOHN MARK: THE YOUTH 
WHO FLINCHED 



19 



Now I saw that the pilgrims came to a place 
where stood an old monument, hard by the highway- 
side, at the sight of which they were both concerned 
because of the strangeness of the form thereof; for 
it seemed to them as if it had been a woman trans- 
formed into the shape of a pillar. Here they stood 
looking and looking upon it, but could not for a time 
tell what they should make thereof. At last Hopeful 
espied, written above the head thereof, a writing in an 
unusual hand; but he, being no scholar, called to 
Christian (for he was learned) to see if he could pick 
out the meaning: so he came, and after a little lay- 
ing of letters together, he found the same to be this, 
'^Remember Lot's wifeJ' 



20 



II 

JOHN MARK: THE YOUTH 
WHO FLINCHED 

This young man was the son of the widow 
Mary of Jerusalem, who, we are given to un- 
derstand, was a woman of wealth and influ- 
ence. At her home the disciples were 
accustomed to meet in ^^a large upper room'' 
which was set apart for their use. 

The first we hear of him is in the year 30, 
the memorable year of the crucifixion. It 
was on an April night, when Christ was in 
the Garden of Gethsemane, that, at the ap- 
pearance of the Roman guard, the disciples 
^^all forsook him and fled.'' The timid boy, 
who was with him, would fain have followed 
his Master but, on being recognized, he also 
took to his heels and left his linen garment 
behind him. He tells the story himself, 
though for obvious reasons he does not men- 
tion his name. Mark 14 : 51, 52. 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

The next time we hear of him is about 
fourteen years later : a.d. 44. The disciples 
are again assembled in the upper room. 
Persecution has broken out; James the be- 
loved pastor of the Jerusalem church has 
been slain with the sword and Peter is lan- 
guishing in prison. The little band of 
believers — a feeble folk like the conies — 
have come together to unite their prayers 
for his deliverance. The doors are shut and 
a maidservant named Rhoda is stationed at 
the outer wicket. While they are thus en- 
gaged there comes a sound of knocking ; and 
their hearts are in their throats. Is another 
of their number to be haled to judgment? 
But fear gives way to amazement when the 
portress comes running to say, '^It is Peter 
that knocks." On being admitted he tells 
this wonderful story : 

^^As I lay sleeping in my cell between two 
soldiers a hand was laid upon me ; and open- 
ing my eyes I found the place filled with 
light. A voice said, ^ Arise up quickly!' and 
straightway my chains fell off. ^Gird thy- 
self, bind on thy sandals and follow me!' I 
obeyed like one in a dream ; the great gates 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

of the prison opened before me, as if their 
bolts were drawn by unseen hands, and pres- 
ently I stood under the open sky. Then 
whither should I go but to this upper room, 
where I knew you would be praying for 
mer' 

The widow's son was among those who 
listened to that wonderful story ; and with- 
out doubt he was deeply impressed by it. 
Possibly this was the beginning of the sin- 
gular friendship of the most headstrong of 
the disciples with this timorous young man. 
In any case, since Peter speaks of ^^ Marcus 
my son,'' it is probable that the latter was 
converted through him. 

The next mention of John Mark is in the 
following year, a.d. 45, when a great enter- 
prise was on foot. Paul and Barnabas, at 
Antioch in Syria, were planning a mission- 
ary tour. A courier or ^^ minister" was 
needed; and John Mark volunteered to ac- 
company them. The flush of enthusiasm 
was upon him. He was at the age when one 
builds castles in the air. He dreamed 
dreams and saw visions of splendid success. 
And thus they sailed for the island of Cy- 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

prus, followed by the benediction of the 
little band of believers, to preach the un- 
searchable riches of Christ. On landing at 
Salamis they began their work, finding a 
ready audience in the synagogue of the 
Jews. Thence passing through the island 
westward, preaching from village to village, 
they came to Paphos, where they delivered 
their message under the shadow of the 
famous temple of Aphrodite. There were 
many conversions; and all went well until 
they were opposed by Elymas the sorcerer ; 
whom Paul, being filled with the Holy Ghost, 
rebuked and lo, a sudden blindness fell upon 
him. All this was calculated to impress the 
young man. For nothing succeeds like suc- 
cess. No doubt he said within himself, ^^I 
am glad I came on this mission ; it is a won- 
derful work and the Lord is manifestly with 
us!'' 

It was now decided to carry the gospel 
over into Asia Minor. A short sail brought 
them to the coasts of Pamphylia. It was 
an inhospitable country, occupied by semi- 
barbarians. The missionaries proposed to 
push into the interior and preach the gospel 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

^Ho them that were afar off.'' John Mark 
looked on the high mountains, in whose fast- 
nesses were unknown possibilities of danger, 
and felt his heart sinking within him. A 
ship was in the harbor, bound for home. He 
bade farewell to Paul and Barnabas, paid 
his passage and returned to Jerusalem. 

Was this because he was homesick ? If so, 
it was "a fault that leaned to virtue's side." 
A leaf out of my memory makes me slow to 
blame him. I left home at sixteen for Phil- 
lips Academy at Andover and looked on no 
kinsman's face for two dreary years. Night 
after night I saw visions of the old home 
with the garden of old-fashioned flowers and 
the well (^^Oh, for a drink of water from the 
well beside the gate of Bethlehem!") and 
one face, the dearest face in all the world, 
bending over me. I wouldn't give a brass 
ha'penny for a man who is ashamed of being 
led by his mother's apron-strings. The 
Duke of Exeter, in the red fury of battle, 
came upon Suffolk, his wounded kinsman; 
whereupon he says, ^^All my mother came 
into mine eyes and gave me up to tears"; 
and the king replies, ^^I blame you not; for 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

hearing this I must perforce compound with 
mistful eyes, or they will issue too.'' There's 
no one like the Elect Lady; and there's no 
place like home. 

^'A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, 
Which, go through the world, you'll not meet with 
elsewhere." 

But however we may sympathize with the 
homesick youth, there is no pull of the heart- 
strings to be compared with duty. Duty is 
the greatest word in the vocabulary of life. 
A man once came to Jesus, saying, ^^I will 
follow thee, but let me first go and bid them 
farewell which are at my home": to whom 
Jesus replied, "^o man having put his hand 
to the plow and looking back is fit for the 
kingdom of God." Is this a hard saying? 
It is a frank statement of the ethical im- 
perative. The same truth is affirmed with 
still greater emphasis in the Master's words, 
^^He that loveth father or mother more than 
me is not worthy of me." 

It may not have been homesickness, how- 
ever, but a disbelief in foreign missions, that 
moved John Mark to retire from the field. 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

As a Jew he probably entertained the com- 
mon prejudice against the evangelization of 
the Gentiles. Thus far on their journey 
Paul and Barnabas had been seeking ^Hhe 
lost sheep of the house of Israel," but now 
they were facing the regions beyond. The 
highlands of Pamphylia were peopled by 
^^dogs of Gentiles '%• and the young evan- 
gelist had no thought of sharing the benefits 
of the Gospel with these outcasts. 

And again who are we that we should 
blame him? Is there not a prejudice in 
many quarters to-day against the world- 
wide view of evangelization? Oh, for an 
enlargement of heart, that we might grasp 
the universal purpose of Christ ! In follow- 
ing him shall we pause at the coasts of 
Pamphylia ? Then must we needs part com- 
pany with him; for he ever goes to ^Hhe 
regions beyond." Had he believed, as some 
of his people do, that charity not only ^^ be- 
gins" but stays at home, he would never 
have come on his far mission to this world 
of ours, nor would he have put his Church 
under commission to go ^4nto all the world 
and preach the Gospel to every creature," 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

that is, to go and keep going, even ^Ho the 
uttermost parts of the earth/' until the Good 
News shall have been proclaimed to the last 
man. 

The probability, however, is that it was 
sheer cowardice that made John Mark a 
quitter. The timidity of his boyhood had 
not left him. The highlands of Pamphylia 
were occupied by a dangerous people. This 
was the country that Paul referred to in his 
account of ^^ perils of waters and perils of 
robbers.'' It was the region of adventure; 
the wonderland of those times. There were 
rumors of banditti dwelling in the defiles of 
yonder cliffs. 

I never knew a boy who would not whistle 
when he went through a dark wood to keep 
his courage up. We are afraid of things 
that are and of things that are not and of 
things that never will be. We are afraid 
of tomorrow, particularly if it happens to 
be Friday. We cover up our fear 
with such proverbial excuses as ^'Dis- 
cretion is the better part of valor," and ''A 
living dog is better than a dead lion," and 
^'He who fights and runs away will live to 

28 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

fight another day''; but there is no disguis- 
ing it. 

But fear cannot excuse cowardice. The 
heart must be steeled to meet difficulty and 
to confront the dangers of the Christian life. 
When Peter says, ^^Add to your faith vir- 
tue," the word is virtus; that is, the courage 
of a true soldier. In like manner Paul says, 
^^Quit you like men!" 

The story of John Mark thus far is a sad 
one; but happily there is a sequel. It was 
eight years after his defection at Perga that 
Paul and Barnabas were arranging for a 
second evangelistic tour ; and Barnabas, who 
was the uncle of John Mark, proposed to 
take him along: but Paul objected, saying, 
*^It is not well to take him who departed 
from us at Pamphylia." The contention 
thereupon was so sharp that the two mis- 
sionaries ^^ parted asunder." Paul, taking 
Silas as his companion, went one way ; and 
Barnabas with his nephew went another. Of 
the outcome of this latter tour we have no 
record; but let us hope the young man 
flinched from none of the dangers and hard- 
ships which confronted him. 

29 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

This was probably the case; for seven 
years later we hear of him as a companion 
of Peter in Babylon (1 Peter 5: 13). It is 
pleasant to see the fearless old apostle and 
^^ Marcus his son" associated in this way. 
It means that John Mark had found himself 
at last ; for Babylon was full of the threaten- 
ings of fierce heathen and fanatical Jews. 

Four years later (a.d. 64), we hear of him 
again: and now, significantly, he is with 
Paul in the Praetorian camp at Rome. Paul 
is a prisoner; and Nero is on the throne! 
The man who could link his fortunes with 
Paul under such circumstances has surely 
gotten the better of his fears. 

The last mention of John Mark is two 
years after (a.d. 66). By this time he is a 
middle-aged man. He is now an associate 
of Timothy in the city of Ephesus. Paul is 
still a prisoner at Rome, but has been trans- 
ferred from the Praetorian camp to the 
Mammertine jail. Old and worn, friendless 
and lonely, shivering in his dungeon, he 
writes to Timothy, ^^Do thy diligence to 
come shortly unto me. Take Mark and hring 
him tvith thee; for he is profitaNe unto me 

30 



PAtTL'S COMPANIONS 

for the ministry/^ Elsewhere he speaks of 
him as "thj fellow-laborer in the kingdom 
of Christ.'' 

Here the record ends ; but tradition says 
that John Mark became a foreign mission- 
ary, going with Peter to distant Rome and 
thence to Alexandria, where he suffered 
martyrdom by being dragged asunder with 
ropes. If he might return and reason with 
some of us who stand hesitating on the 
borders of Pamphylia, he would surely say, 
^^Fall into line, O Christians, with the vast 
purpose of Christ! He died for all, even 
unto the uttermost ; and ye are all fishers of 
men." 

Now what is the lesson ? There^s hope for 
a coward^ hope for a deserter, hope for a 
backslider, if he will only return to Christ. 
Many a man can look back through the years 
to a day when he entered into a covenant of 
faithfulness which was broken at the 
borders of Pamphylia. If that means you, 
my friend, why not profit by the past ? One 
of the secrets of success is to take advantage 
of our blunders. ^^We rise on stepping 
stones of our dead selves to nobler things." 

31 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Pluck up courage ! The Lord is always giv- 
ing us another chance : and cowards like us 
are the stuff that heroes are made of. 

A man on his way to the firing line was 
chided by a comrade, ^^ Your knees are shak- 
ing: you're scared/' His answer was, ^^ In- 
deed I am! If you were half as scared as 
I am you'd run." But he didn't run. He 
pressed on in spite of fears and won the vic- 
tory. In the memory of past misadventures 
let us face the dangers before us. All is not 
lost ! The best is still possible so long as God 
stands by us. The fight is on; and we are 
called to the thin red line. This means that 
we must disencumber ourselves of all that 
hinders and face our responsibilities. It is 
no easy matter to live well. 

There are always lions in the way to the 
Celestial City. Christian in the '^Pilgrim's 
Progress" was frightened when he caught 
sight of them and heard their roaring. Bun- 
yan says, ^^The lions were chained, but he 
saw not the chains." There's the trouble 
with us. ^^Fear not the lions," the porter 
called, ^^for they are chained and are placed 
there for trial of faith. . . . Keep in the 

32 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

midst of the path, and no hurt shall come 
unto thee.'' 

In one of the battles of the Wilderness 
a young man was wounded unto death. His 
father was telegraphed for ; and finding him 
in the hospital lying on his face with a gap- 
ing wound between his shoulders, he said 
quietly, "My son, that's a bad place to be 
hit." The youth turned with a painful ef- 
fort and, pointing to a wound in his breast, 
said, ^^ Father, here's where the ball went 
in. ' ' Blessed are those who bear ' ' the marks 
of the Lord Jesus" in their breasts; who 
fight to win, and die, if need be, facing the 
foe. 

Let us therefore put on the whole armor 
of God; and above all forget not ^^the san- 
dals of preparation," the spiked sandals of 
a soldier who looks for a grapple at close 
quarters, that we may be ^^able to withstand 
in the evil day and, having done all, to 
stand!" The great promise is to him that 
is faithful unto death. ^^To him that over- 
Cometh will I give ... a white stone, and 
in the stone a new name written which no 
man knoweth save he that receiveth it." 

33 



Ill 

SILAS: A SINGER 



w 



Now as they were going along and talking, they 
espied a boy feeding his father's sheep. The boy was 
of a fresh and well-favored countenance; and as he 
sat by himself he sung. 

'^Hark/^ said Mr. Great-Heart, ''to what the shep- 
herd's boy saith.'' 

So they hearkened and he said, 

''He that is down needs fear no fall; 
He that is low, no pride: 
He that is humble ever shall 
Have God to be his guide." 

Then said the guide, "Do you hear him? I will 
dare to say this boy lives a merrier life, and wears 
more of that herb called heart's-ease in his bosom, 
than he that is clad in silk and velvet.'' 



26 



Ill 

SILAS: A SINGER 

In the year 50 a Council was called to 
meet in Jerusalem for a final settlement of 
the question whether Gentile converts must 
submit to the requirement of the Ceremonial 
Law on becoming members of the church. 
It was maintained by the Gentile converts 
that salvation was conditioned solely on per- 
sonal faith in Christ, while high churchmen 
of Jewish birth and training insisted that 
compliance with the Levitical law was nec- 
essary to salvation. So warm had been the 
controversy that a serious breach was 
threatened; the crux of difference being as 
to the fundamental doctrine of Justification 
by Faith. The first address in the Council 
was made by Peter, who reminded his 
hearers of what had happened twenty years 
before, on the Day of Pentecost, when the 

37 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

Gospel door had been opened to all alike in 
the words, ^^The promise is unto you and to 
your children and to all that are afar off.'' 
He was followed by Paul and Barnabas, 
who, having just returned from their first 
missionary journey, related what wonders 
of conversion had been wrought by the Holy 
Spirit ^^ without respect of persons." Then 
James, the pastor of the mother church in 
Jerusalem, arose, and, though naturally pre- 
disposed to the Jewish side of the question, 
suggested such mutual concessions as would, 
without the sacrifice of any principle, satisfy 
both parties and enable them to work to- 
gether in peace. A resolution was drawn 
up accordingly, which is recorded ipsissima 
verba in Acts 15 : 23-29. 

The first that we hear of Silas, or Sil- 
vanus, is in connection with this Council, 
where he is mentioned as one of ^Hhe chief 
men." The Decree of the Council was re- 
garded as of sufiicient importance to war- 
rant its immediate transmission to all the 
churches, an undertaking of no slight diffi- 
culty in view of the long distances and awk- 
ward means of communication in those days. 

38 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

For this purpose a committee was ap- 
pointed, consisting of Paul, Barnabas, 
Jude and Silas, The appointment of Silas 
on a committee charged with duties so deli- 
cate and far-reaching would indicate that he 
was a tactful man of irenic disposition. In 
the course of the long and arduous journeys 
involved it is quite certain that Paul would 
become well enough acquainted with Silas 
to pass final judgment upon his character 
and efficiency as a fellow-servant of Christ. 
The work of the committee ended at An- 
tioch, which was then about to supplant Je- 
rusalem as the center of operations of the 
Christian Church. In that city the four 
commissioners tarried for about two years, 
preaching the Gospel with notable results. 
But Paul was restless; he was not cut out 
for a settled pastorate or for long continu- 
ance anywhere. The wanderlust returned 
to him and he resolved to set out upon an- 
other missionary journey. ^^Let us go 
again,'' he said to Barnabas, ^^and visit our 
brethren in every city where we have 
preached the word of the Lord and see how 
they do.'' 

39 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

A serious difference arose between the two 
missionaries then and there. Barnabas 
wished his nephew John Mark to accompany 
them; but Paul objected, because John 
Mark had failed them on their first journey, 
turning back at the foot of the Pamphylian 
hills. ' ' The contention was sharp, ' ' so sharp 
indeed that Paul and Barnabas ^'parted 
asunder/' going their several ways. 

But Paul must have a yokefellow : he was 
the last man in the world to work alone. The 
needed yokefellow was at hand, one in whom 
he could place full confidence as ^^a faithful 
brother.'' So it came to pass that Paul 
yoked up with Silas for his eventful second 
journey. They set out together from An- 
tioch with their faces toward the northwest, 
pausing at Derbe, and then on to Lystra, 
where they were joined by Timothy, who 
had taken the place of John Mark as courier 
and general helper. Then on to Iconium 
and Troas, where Paul had his vision of the 
man of Macedonia calling, ^^Come over and 
help us." 

That meant Europe — the invasion of a 
new continent for Christ. A mighty enter- 

40 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

prise! The Hellespont was crossed. The 
missionary group now consisted of Paul, 
Silas, Timothy and Luke. We know that 
Luke, ^Hhe beloved physician," was with the 
company from now on, because he as the 
narrator now uses the pronoun ^^we" in- 
stead of ^Hhey." On landing they at once 
pushed up the mountain road to Philippi, 
all girded for work. 

It is a proverb that wherever Paul goes 
you may look for a revival or a riot. At 
Philippi they had both. The first convert 
was Lydia, "a seller of purple" — who 
proved to be the ^^man of Macedonia" who 
had beckoned for help — followed by other 
trophies of grace, among whom was a slave- 
girl who had been used for divination. And 
then the trouble began. Her masters, ^^ see- 
ing that their hope of gain was gone," 
stirred up a commotion that landed the mis- 
sionaries in jail after a severe scourging. 

It is easy to imagine them in the darkness, 
sore and weary, with chains upon their 
wrists. ^ ^ It 's a cold and dreary place, ' ' says 
Paul; ^^do you think a Psalm would help 
us?" Now Silas seems to have been a sing- 

41 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

ing evangelist, and like a Scotch precentor 
doubtless knew how to ^4ift the tune/' 
Strange echoes awoke in that dismal jail. 
^^At midnight Paul and Silas sang praises 
unto God; and the prisoners heard them.'' 
Perhaps they sang the 46th selection in the 
Jewish Psalter: 

'^God is our refuge and our strength, 

in straits a present aid; 
Therefore, although the earth remove, 

we will not be afraid ; 
Though mountains in the sea be cast; 

though waves a roaring make 
And troubled be: yea, though the hills 

by swelling seas do shake. 
Our God, who is the Lord of hosts, 

is still upon our side; 
The God of Jacob our refuge 

forever will abide.'' 

The hymn was over ; the walls were shak- 
ing and falling; an earthquake! The pris- 
oners are loosed: and presently the fright- 
ened and convicted jailer is kneeling before 
them with the cry, ^^Sirs, what must I do 
to be saved?'' In the sequel you may find 
a marvellous demonstration of God's in- 

42 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

terest in the welfare of those who love 
him. 

From Philippi Paul and Silas travelled 
on to Thessalonica, where for three weeks 
they taught and preached, and then again 
came a riot and the missionaries were sent 
out "hy night unto Berea." Here was a 
haven of rest for a time, the word being 
eagerly received by the Bereans, but the 
coming of a deputation of hostile Jews from 
Thessalonica brought interruption and Paul 
again hurried away, leaving Silas and Tim- 
othy behind. On reaching Athens he sent 
posthaste for his inspiring co-workers. At 
Corinth Paul did his best work after Silas 
and Timothy rejoined him, and though Silas 
is not again mentioned by name in the Acts 
we can believe that he was standing by Paul 
in his trials and rejoicing with him in his 
victories for many a long day. 

Some years later, Peter closes his First 
General Epistle with the words, ^^By Sil- 
vanus, a faithful brother, I have briefly 
written, exhorting and testifying that this 
is the true grace of God.'' (1 Pet. 5: 12.) 
It thus appears that Silas was with Peter 

43 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

during his closing years in distant Babylon, 
sharing persecution with him and ready, as 
a faithful brother, to serve as his amanu- 
ensis and possibly as his postman in convey- 
ing his inspired message to the saints that 
were scattered abroad. So farewell, Silas, 
faithful brother and true yokefellow in the 
gospel of the grace of God. 

His record is a brief one. It is evident 
that he did not covet the limelight. Why 
should he? ^^The Master praises, what are 
men ? ' ' But his character is clearly outlined 
in certain lines. 

To begin with he is called "a prophet,'' 
at that time meaning an efficient and author- 
itative teacher of the Word. It is safe to 
say that he found himself at home among 
the Bible-loving people of Berea who '^re- 
ceived the word with all readiness of mind 
and searched the Scriptures daily whether 
those things were so." 

He was also a gleaner. Observe how 
often, when Paul left one city for another 
further on, Silas is said to have remained 
behind 'Ho gather up the loose grain of the 
harvest." This indicates that he had the 

44 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

necessary qualifications for binding together 
the converts and establishing them in the 
most holy faith. 

But above everything else he was the 
Singing Pilgrim. As Sankey to Moody, as 
Alexander to Chapman, and as ^^Rhody" to 
Billy Sunday, so was Silas to Paul; the joy- 
giver of the campaign, the singer of songs 
in the night. Blessed is the man who, in the 
name of the Lord, can give ^^ beauty for 
ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the 
garment of praise for the spirit of heavi- 
ness.'' 

Perhaps it was with that dark night in the 
Philippian jail in mind that Paul, in his 
later years, wrote to the church at Corinth, 
^'I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing 
with the understanding also," and again to 
the church at Ephesus, ^^Be filled with the 
spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and 
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and mak- 
ing melody in your heart to the Lord," and 
again to the church at Colosse, ^^Let the 
word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wis- 
dom, teaching and admonishing one another 
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." 

45 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

It is difficult to think of Paul himself as 
a singer ; but he was wise enough to choose 
for his yokefellow one who could lend the 
wings of music to his work. Many a time 
have I heard Mr. Moody, at the close of a 
sermon, say ^'Now, brother Sankey, give us 
a song!^' And the truth he had preached 
was thus mellowed and deepened and carried 
aloft in melody. ^^Two are better than one, 
. . . for if they fall the one will lift up 
his fellow.'' 

Two by two we toil in the harvest, two by 
two we journey through life. Whom shall 
I choose for my yokefellow? Silas, come 
hither! I need thee when the shadows of 
Philippi gather about me; come, solace me 
with one of the songs of Zion. Let us go, 
through gloom and gladness, even to 
heaven's gate with psalms and hymns and 
spiritual songs! 

So did Christian and his comrade in Bun- 
yan's allegory pass through danger after 
danger, singing as they went, until they were 
welcomed by angels at the gates of the Ce- 
lestial City ; and this was their song : 



46 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

^'Behold how fitly are the stages set 
For their relief that pilgrims are become, 
And how they us receive without one let 
That make the Other Life our mark and home! 
What novelties they have to us they give, 
That we, though pilgrims, joyful lives may live: 
They do upon us, too, such things bestow 
To show we pilgrims are, where'er we go." 



47 



IV 



TIMOTHY: ''THE GENTLE BOY 
OF LYSTRA" 



49 



Now, as Christian went on his way, he came to a 
little ascent which was cast up on purpose that pil- 
grims might see before them. Up there, therefore. 
Christian went ; and looking forward, he saw Faithful 
before him on his journey. Then said Christian aloud, 
^'Ho, ho! so-ho! stay, and I will be your companion." 



50 



IV 



TIMOTHY: ^^THE GENTLE BOY 
OF LYSTRA" 

The ancient town of Lystra, now called 
Katyn-serai, lay in a verdant plain among 
the mountains of Lycaonia. It was chiefly 
famed for its worship of the pagan gods. 

Two dusty travellers, so ran the legend, 
came to Lystra one evening and sought in 
vain for hospitality. The doors of the 
wealthy were closed against them. At length 
they applied at the humble home of Phile- 
mon and his wife Baucis, who gave them 
welcome and sheltered them for the night. 
At daybreak, when the aged couple awoke, 
their guests had disappeared: and the 
humble cottage had been transformed into a 
splendid temple with alabaster floors and 
golden pinnacles. Then they knew that their 
mysterious guests were Jupiter and Mer- 
cury, his messenger ; and thenceforth people 
came from near and far to see the miracu- 

51 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

Ions temple and pay their devotions to the 
Olympian gods. 

In the year 47 two travel- worn men came 
to Lystra with the Gospel message. They 
were Paul and Barnabas, on their first mis- 
sionary journey. There being no synagogue 
in the town, they preached in the open 
streets. Not much attention was given them 
until Paul healed a man who had been a 
hopeless cripple from his birth. On seeing 
this miracle the people concluded that the 
gods were again come down to them ^4n the 
likeness of men." Barnabas, imposing in 
stature and of benignant presence, was nat- 
urally identified with Jupiter the Olympian 
father; while Paul, ^Hhe little Jew,'^ would 
of course be taken for Mercury. Garlands 
were brought and the priest of Jupiter ap- 
peared with beasts for sacrifice. Paul and 
his companion, who had been slow to recog- 
nize the frightful meaning of the demonstra- 
tion, now cried out, ^^Sirs, why do ye these 
things? We also are men of like passions 
with you, and preach unto you that ye 
should turn from these vanities unto the liv- 
ing God!'' Then came the reaction, as a 

52 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

matter of course. On finding that these men, 
so far from being gods, were opposing the 
worship of their gods, the people presently 
dragged Paul out beyond the walls and 
stoned him, leaving him for dead. 

And here is where we meet with Timothy 
for the first time. He was then a youth of 
possibly sixteen years, the son of a pagan 
father and a Jewish mother who dwelt in 
Lystra. The mother Eunice, with ^^grand- 
mother Lois'' and the young man, had been 
converted by the preaching of Paul; and 
doubtless they were ^Hhe disciples" who as- 
suaged his wounds and cared for him until 
the next morning, when he was able with the 
help of Barnabas to resume his journey. 

The next we hear of Timothy was four 
years later, a.d. 51, when Paul again visited 
Lystra. This was on his second missionary 
journey. Barnabas had now parted com- 
pany with him because Paul, for good and 
sufficient reasons (Acts 15:38, 39), would 
not take John Mark along as their courier. 
Silas had taken the place of Barnabas : but 
a courier was needed. Why not Timothy? 

The very man,'' said Paul; and then and 

53 



a 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

there began a friendship so loyal, affection- 
ate and enduring as to furnish an exemplary 
illustration of ^^the tie that binds our hearts 
in Christian love/' Paul was now forty- 
five years of age and Timothy scarcely 
twenty-one. They were like father and son ; 
indeed the younger is addressed again and 
again in the Epistles as '^mine own son" and 
^^my dearly beloved son.'' But notwith- 
standing this disparity in age there was no 
disparity in service. They were true yoke- 
fellows and fellow-laborers in the Kingdom 
of Christ. 

Setting out together from Lystra, they 
stayed by one another to the journey's end. 
At Troas they took ship together in answer 
to the Macedonian call, ^^ Come over and help 
us ! " They pushed their way together along 
the mountain roads to Philippi, on to Thes- 
salonica, thence to Berea, where Silas and 
Timothy remained while Paul pushed on to 
Athens. Again united, they came to gay, 
godless Corinth where a fruitful campaign 
was carried on. Then homeward bound, with 
a halt at Ephesus for "a good while" with 
important results. 

54 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

This brings us to the year 55, when Tim- 
othy appears as the '^bishop" or minister of 
the Ephesian Church, It appears that when 
Paul resumed his homeward journey he left 
Timothy behind to take charge of the grow- 
ing body of believers in that city. As to his 
faithfulness in that difficult iBeld — under 
the shadow of the temple of great Diana — 
we have abundant evidence in the letters 
which Paul afterward sent him. In the 
First Epistle to Timothy, written 64 a.d. 
while Paul was a prisoner in the Praetorian 
camp at Eome, we have the classical basis 
of all pastoral ^^ charges'' from then until 
now. In the second we have the Apostle's 
farewell to his ^^ beloved son." 

In the year 66 Paul, having been re- 
arrested after his first imprisonment (2 
Tim. 4:16, 17), was confined in the Mam- 
mertine jail. It was a cheerless place. 
Alone and friendless but for the companion- 
ship of faithful Luke, he writes to Timothy, 

"Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me. Take 
Mark and bring him with thee. The cloke that I 
left at Troas, when thou comest bring with thee, and 
the books and parchments. Do thy diligence to come 
before winter. Grace be with you.'' 2 Tim. 4: 9-22. 

55 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

It is safe to say that Timothy was at 
Eome in due time, with the '^cloke'' to com- 
fort Paul against the chill of the approach- 
ing winter, and the ^^ books and parchments'' 
for the alleviation of the old man's weary 
hours. 

It appears certain that Timothy had pa- 
tiently continued in the pastorate of the 
Ephesian Church for the intervening period 
of eleven years ; and, for anything to the con- 
trary, we may assume that he was still in 
charge (a.d. 95) when John, the last sur- 
vivor of the apostles, delivered his message 
^Ho the angel" (literally, messenger or am- 
bassador) ^^of the Church at Ephesus." 
(Eev. 2:1-7.) We cannot follow him 
further ; here the record ends. 

There is enough, however, to give us a 
clear tout ensemhle of Timothy's character. 
To begin with, he was a quiet man, with a 
^'gift." What the particular gift was that 
Paul exhorts him to ^^stir up" (2 Tim. 1 : 6) 
we are left to surmise. It was probably not 
eloquence ; possibly it was tact. The length 
of his pastorate in Ephesus would indicate 
that he knew how to manage a difficult situ- 

56 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

ation and get along with all kinds of people. 
In any case he used his gift to the glory of 
God, which is the main point. Everybody 
has a gift of some sort, which needs not only 
to be stirred np but kept stirring. Miss 
Havergal knew how to sing ; and when she 
became a Christian she resolved to sing her 
best for the Lord who had redeemed her. 

^^Take my voice and let me sing 
Always, only, for my King!'' 

The courage of Timothy is also in evi- 
dence. He did not flinch, like John Mark, 
at the foot of the Lycaonian hills. He faced 
the danger that confronted him as a com- 
panion with Paul in the Mammertine jail. 
He had counted the cost of being a Chris- 
tian and faced whatever might befall him 
as simply ^4n the day's work." The Lord 
wants such men to serve him. 

And then consider his faithfulness. It is 
rumored that some ministers are wont to re- 
gard their parishes as mere stepping-stones 
to larger parishes further on. Not so Tim- 
othy. ^' Tarry in Ephesus,'' wrote Paul ; and 
tarry he did, resolutely continuing in labor 

57 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

of love and patience of hope for a lifetime. 
It was to a ^^likeminded man" (Phil. 2: 19, 
20) that Paul wrote his farewell words: '^I 
have fought a good fight, I have finished my 
course, I have kept the faith. ' ' 

And this, finally. The groundwork of his 
character was fidelity to the Word of God. 
He had learned the Scriptures in his old 
home at Lystra, where, despite the influence 
of a pagan father, he imbibed the unfeigned 
faith of his mother Eunice and his grand- 
mother Lois. ^^From a child,'' writes Paul, 
^Hhou hast known the holy Scriptures which 
are able to make thee wise unto salvation 
through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All 
Scripture,'' he significantly adds, '^ given 
by inspiration of God, is profitable for doc- 
trine, for reproof, for correction, for in- 
struction in righteousness : that the man of 
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished 
unto all good works." It was because Paul, 
the ^ ^father superior" of this young man, 
was confident of his devotion to the Scrip- 
tures that he could hopefully exhort him to 
preach accordingly: ^^ Study to show thyself 
approved unto God, a workman that needeth 

58 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word 
of truth." 

From all of which we conclude that the 
best Christian is a Bible Christian, and that 
the best minister is one who not only believes 
in the inspiration of the Scriptures but can 
rightly adjust them to the needs of those 
who hear him. The Lord's promise is, "My 
word shall not return unto me void, but it 
shall accomplish that which I please, and 
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent 



V 



LUKE: ''THE BELOVED 
PHYSICIAN" 



61 



This Mr. Standfast was he whom the rest of the 
pilgrims found upon his knees in the Enchanted 
Groimd. 



62 



V 



LUKE: ^^THE BELOVED 
PHYSICIAN'' 

It is no easy matter to do good work when 
one is handicapped by ill health. Paul was 
never a well man: he speaks of his ^^oft in- 
firmities, ' ' the chief est of which was a mys- 
terious 'Hhorn in the flesh" that never 
ceased to trouble him. 

All went well on his first missionary 
journey until he reached Galatia, where he 
was laid low by an illness that must have de- 
tained him for a considerable time. (Gal. 
4 : 13, 14.) He then pressed on until he came 
to Troas, where he had his vision of the man 
of Macedonia beckoning and calling, '^Come 
over and help us ! " 

This meant an adventure into Europe. A 
new continent for Christ ! So important an 
enterprise could not safely be undertaken in 
Paul's precarious condition without the 
help of a physician; and here is where we 
catch our first glimpse of Luke. He may 

63 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

have been a resident of Troas ; if so he must 
have given up his local practice in order to 
accompany Paul and minister to him. 

How do we know that Luke here joined 
the missionary group that crossed the 
Hellespont into Europe ? By the change of 
a pronoun in the narrative. Up to this point 
the writer of the Acts of the Apostles — 
none other than Luke himself — has used 
the pronoun ^Hhey," but from henceforth he 
speaks in the first person, ^^we.'' (Acts 16: 
10.) By following the change of pronouns 
from "they^^ to ^^we'' and back again we 
shall have no difficulty in tracing the foot- 
steps of Luke from now on. 

He continued with Paul as far as Phil- 
ippic where — from the resumption of the 
pronoun ^Hhey'^ — we conclude that he was 
either constrained to remain behind for a 
season or possibly to return to his native 
city. In any case he did not rejoin the mis- 
sionary group until several years later, 
when, on the third journey, they came again 
to Philippi. (Acts 20: 6.) Here the chron- 
icler resumes the first personal pronoun and 
keeps it to the end. It would appear that 

64 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

Paul's failing health now called for the con- 
stant attendance of a physician; and Luke 
never failed him. 

He was with Paul on his perilous journey 
to Jerusalem (Acts 20: 15, 16), also during 
his imprisonment at Caesarea and his voyage 
to Rome; and he kept the log of the final 
voyage with its driving storm and ship- 
wreck. (Acts 27: 1.) He shared the hard- 
ships of PauPs weary confinement in the 
Praetorian camp and subsequently in the 
Mammertine jail (2 Tim. 4:11), and was 
with him no doubt when the executioner 
summoned him to die outside the gates of 
the city. 

No man ever had less to say of himself 
than Luke ; yet by reading between the lines 
we may form a very distinct outline of his 
Christian life and character. 

I. Tradition says that he was a painter. 
Whether that is correct or not, certain it is 
that he portrayed the Apostle Paul in colors 
unmistakably bright and clear. This was 
because he dipped his inspired pen in 
^^Siloa's brook that flows fast by the Oracle 
of God. ^' Nor can his self-effacement in be- 
es 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

haK of the great missionary conceal his own 
face and figure as that of a singularly up- 
right and devoted man. 

II. He was a writer of distinction, master 
of a style marked by great clarity and pic- 
turesquesness. He begins the Acts of the 
Apostles with these words: ^The former 
treatise have I made, Theophilus, of all 
that Jesus began both to do and teach until 
the day in which he was taken up." The 
Gospel according to Luke is ^^the former 
treatise'' referred to. These two books re- 
main as his enduring memorials. In ^^the 
Gospel according to Luke'' w^e have really 
the Gospel according to Paul, the proba- 
bility being, as Athanasius says, that Paul 
^^dictated" the substance of it. 

III. He was a skillful as well as '^be- 
loved" physician. Of the four evangelists 
who wrote the Life of Jesus he most empha- 
sizes the miracles of heahng and dwells most 
particularly on the symptoms of disease and 
the mode of treatment. But while thus be- 
traying his own professional skill he hides 
himself with the utmost care behind the fig- 
ure of Jesus as ^^the great physician." It 

66 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

is he who tells the touching story of the 
woman with an incurable hemorrhage, re- 
vealing a quiet sense of humor at the ex- 
pense of his professional brethren in the 
statement that she ^^had spent all her living 
upon physicians, neither could be healed of 
any/^ He attributes to Jesus such healing 
power that ^Virtue went out of him'^ 
through the very touch of the hem of his 
garment. No other of the sacred writers 
gives us so clear a view of the compassion 
of Jesus toward the poor, the helpless and 
the abandoned. Where in all the world of 
literature can be found so vivid a portrayal 
as in Luke 15 of Jesus as the incarnation of 
God, coming down from heaven to seek and 
to save, and seeking the lost'' until he find 
it'7 

IV. But in his relation to Paul we know 
this man best as a faithful friend. No fair- 
weather friend was he; through evil and 
good report he stayed by him. This is the 
sort of friend we need, one who stands ready 
to summer and winter with us. ^^Do thy 
diligence to come shortly unto me,'' writes 
Paul to Timothy in the darkness and chill 

07 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

of his last imprisonment; ^^only Luke is with 
me/' Only Luke! But what to this weary 
old soldier would the Mammertine jail have 
been without Luke? 

But there was Another with Paul in those 
weary hours, a better Friend than Luke, a 
Friend that sticketh closer than a brother. 
'The Lord/' he says, ''stood with me." And 
this is the Friend whom Luke in all his writ- 
ings commends as the chiefest among ten 
thousand and altogether lovely. Blessed is 
the man who confides in Him! 

One could wish that we knew more of the 
later years of this "beloved" man. As it 
is, in parting company with him we cannot 
but remark upon his Ukeness to "Mr. Stand- 
fast" in "The Pilgrim's Progress," who 
was also faithful unto the end. As he came 
to the brink of the river, with the glory of 
the Celestial City before him, he "talked 
with the companions that had waited upon 
him thither. And he said, This river has 
been a terror to many; yea, the thoughts of 
it also have often frightened me; but now 
methinks I stand easy. . . . The thoughts 
of what I am going to, and of the convoy 

68 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

that waits for me on the other side, do lie 
as a glowing coal at my heart. My toilsome 
days are ended. ... I have loved to hear 
my Lord spoken of; and wherever I have 
seen the print of his shoe in the earth, there 
I have coveted to set my foot too. His name 
has been to me as a civet-box; yea, sweeter 
than all perfumes. His voice to me has been 
most sweet, and his countenance I have more 
desired than they that have most desired the 
light of the sun. His words I did use to 
gather for my food, and for antidotes 
against my faintings. He hath held me, and 
hath kept me from mine iniquities; yea, my 
steps hath he strengthened in his way.' 
Now, while he was thus in discourse, his 
countenance changed; his strong man bowed 
under him; and after he had said. Take me, 
for I come unto thee,' he ceased to be seen 
of them. But glorious it was to see how the 
open region was filled with horses and 
chariots, with trumpeters and pipers, with 
singers and players upon stringed instru- 
ments, to welcome the pilgrims as they went 
up and followed one another in at the beauti- 
ful gate of the city'^ 

69 



VI 
LYDIA: THE PUKPLE-SELLER 



71 



Then the porter rang his bell, as at such times he 
was wont, and there came to the door one of the 
damsels, whose name was Hmnble-mind; and to her 
the porter said, "Go tell it within that Christiana the 
wife of Christian and her children are come hither 
on pilgrimage.'^ She went in therefore and told it. 
But oh, what noise for gladness was there within 
when the damsel did but drop that out of her mouth 1 



72 



VI 
LYDIA: THE PURPLE-SELLER 

The story begins with, a voyage — a mem- 
orable voyage. 

On the deck of a vessel crossing the 
Hellespont are three men searching for an- 
other man. One of them had a dream last 
night at Troas, in which he saw a dim figure, 
known by his peculiar garb and dialect to be 
a Macedonian, stretching out his hands and 
calling, ^^Come over and help us!'' Paul 
was the last person in the world to be unre- 
sponsive to such a call. Summoning his 
friend Silas and Luke, his attendant physi- 
cian, he * immediately" set sail. 

The two epic heroes of ancient Rome and 
Greece had also sailed from Troas ; but the 
^neid and the Odyssey dwindle into insig- 
nificance when compared with the adventure 
of these men. It means a new continent for 

73 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Christ ! Somewhere in those distant hills of 
Europe the pursuivant of a mighty cause 
awaits these men. But will they find him? 

The next day was the Sabbath. But Phi- 
lippi was a pagan city and cared nothing for 
the Lord or for his holy day. Three 
strangers sought a synagogue in vain. Out- 
side the gates there was a proseuche^ or 
^* place where prayer was wont to be made," 
and a company of devout women, Jewesses 
and ^^proselytes'' of Jewish faith, were 
there engaged in worship when — no doubt 
to their amazement and perhaps embar- 
rassment — the three strangers appeared in 
their midst. In accordance with the custom 
of the synagogue they were invited to speak 
on the lesson of the day: ^^If ye have any 
word of exhortation for us, say on.'' (See 
Luke 4: 16; Acts 13: 15, etc.) We have no 
report of Paul's sermon, but it goes without 
saying that he preached on ^^This Jesus is 
the Christ." 

And then and there they found the ''man 
of Macedonia." The forerunner of all 
Christian converts on the continent of Eu- 
rope proved to be a woman ; as it is written : 

74 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

"A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, 
of the city of Thyatira, heard us; whose heart the 
Lord opened that she attended unto the things which 
were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized and 
her household she besought us saying, If ye have 
judged me to be faithful to the Lord come into my 
house and abide there." Acts 16:14, 15. 

This is not much of a biography, but we 
must make the most of it; since — except 
for a few brief and somewhat vague allu- 
sions — this is substantially all we know of 
her. But there is a good deal here for one 
who is able to read between the lines. 

First, she was a native of Thyatira. Now 
Thyatira was in Mysia, a pagan country 
which Paul had greatly desired to enter with 
the Gospel message, but when he ^^ assayed 
to go^' with his companions "the Spirit suf- 
fered them not. ' ' ( Acts 16 : 7, 8. ) It would 
appear, however, that the desired end was 
accomplished through the conversion of 
Lydia; the probability being that she was 
the means of establishing the church which 
afterward flourished in that city. (Rev. 2: 
18-29.) 

Second, she was a ^^ devout'' woman, that 
is a ^^ proselyte'' or convert from paganism 

75 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

to the Jewish religion. As a worshiper of 
the true God she was in the way of discover- 
ing God revealed in his only begotten Son. 
There are many ^^ devout'' people who are 
not Christians but, in so far as they are 
earnest seekers after truth, they are certain 
to accept Christ when they behold him. 

Thirds her heart was open. The Lord had 
so opened it that on hearing that Jesus was 
the prophesied and long-looked-f or Messiah 
she ^^ attended" to the message and received 
him. This is salvation ; this is ^^justification 
by faith"; this is what it means to be a 
Christian, no more and no less. 

Fourth, she was ^^ baptized"; that is, she 
made an open confession of her faith. The 
Church has only two sacraments : one is bap- 
tism, which as an initiatory rite commits the 
initiate to the open and avowed service of 
Christ; the other is the Lord's Supper, in 
which the church-member at stated times re- 
news his covenant. When Lydia was bap- 
tized with her household she gave it to be 
understood that she and her children were 
prepared to stand up and be counted for 
Christ. 

76 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Fifths she opened her house to Paul and 
his companions. This meant more than the 
customary hospitality of the Orient : it was 
an expression of gratitude for the great 
service they had rendered her, and also a 
recognition of the new and wonderful bond 
of fellowship which every believer finds in 
the company of Christian friends. ^^ Birds 
of a feather flock together.'' ^^ Blest be the 
tie that binds our hearts in Christian love!" 

There is a sequel. It was not long before 
the campaign in Philippi came to a sudden 
end. The healing of the demoniacal malady 
of a slave girl, whom her masters had used 
as a pythoness with much profit to them- 
selves, led to a riot and the arrest of Paul 
and Silas as disturbers of the peace. They 
were scourged and cast into prison. That 
night there was an earthquake which shook 
the prison walls and released the prisoners. 
Their jailer, whose life under the Eoman 
law was forfeit in case of their escape, threw 
himself upon their mercy, crying, ^'Men and 
brethren, what shall I do?" Never was a 
better chance to preach the Gospel, and Paul 
immediately took advantage of it, saying, 

77 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

^^ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou 
shalt be saved and thy house." And behold 
the man believed and ^^was baptized and all 
his straightway." 

A strange conversion and how different 
from Lydia's! Her heart was gently 
^'opened" by the Spirit, while it took an 
earthquake to convert him. But so it is 
written: ^^ There are diversities of opera- 
tions, but it is the same God which worketh 
all in all. " (1 Cor. 12 : 6.) Not all are born 
into the Kingdom in the same way. Some 
Christians can remember the very day and 
hour when, after long conviction, they were 
gloriously blinded for a season, like Saul of 
Tarsus, by a light above the brightness of 
the sun; others remember their conversion 
as the quiet falling of the dew or the break- 
ing of a new day; while others still cannot 
at all remember the beginning of their Chris- 
tian life. God works as he will. The New 
Jerusalem has twelve gates and every gate 
is of pearl; let no one insist that another 
shall pass through the same gate by which 
he entered into the Celestial City. 

The story of Lydia ends with a scene in 

78 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

the church at Philippi. Eleven years have 
passed. The minister, possibly Epaphro- 
ditus, is reading to the congregation a letter 
just received from Paul, a prisoner at 
Rome. In view of the relations of Lydia 
with Paul and with the Philippian church 
it is strange that the letter makes no mention 
of her. Perhaps she was dead, or had re- 
moved to some other city. Or possibly we 
may discover her in the modest company re- 
ferred to in these words: ^'I entreat thee, 
true yokefellow, help those women which 
labored with me in the Gospel, whose names 
are in the book of life.'' (Phil. 4:3.) In 
any case Lydia is worthy to be named among 
those who 'labored together'' with Paul. 
She journeyed with him in spirit and shared 
with him the hardships of his ministry, 
*^Let her works praise her in the gates." 

It is sometimes said by way of criticising 
the Church that ^^the women keep it up." 
In large measure this is true. It is also true 
that the women are the main support of our 
domestic life. If it were not for the gra- 
cious influence of our mothers and wives and 
daughters what sort of homes would our 

79 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

homes be? And the women stand back of 
our schools and hospitals and all institutions 
that make for the betterment of the com- 
munity. Moreover of late their leaven has 
so beneficently leavened the lump of national 
affairs that I doubt if the crustiest bachelor 
in America would suggest a return to the 
good old times when not infrequently our 
ballots were cast in dramshops to an accom- 
paniment of ribald profanity. It is just oc- 
casion for regret that so many Christian 
women, like Lois, are yoked up with pagan 
Greeks who, cumbered with much service in 
the marketplace, can find neither time nor 
inclination to serve God. To utter a gibe at 
the Church because Lois is there with her 
boy Timothy is to show a singular ignorance 
of analogy and the eternal fitness of things. 
All hail to the Lydias of the Church, the 
ministering women whose hearts are open 
to truth and in whose lips is the law of kind- 
ness ! By the memory of the mother of our 
Lord and of the mothers that bore us, of the 
sisters that guided our early feet and the 
wives who fill and furnish our homes with 
labor of love, we take shame to ourselves 

80 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

that ever a man presumes to cast a slur on 
woman's devotion to Christ. 

All hail to our elect ladies! If ever we 
get to heaven we shall find them there be- 
fore us — and not alone. It is written of 
Christian that, fleeing from the City of De- 
struction, he left his household behind him ; 
but Christiana would not go without her 
children. At heaven's gate we shall meet 
them, mothers like Hannah and Christiana, 
mothers like yours and mine; and as they 
enter with the sunlight of blessing in their 
faces, we shall hear them saying, ^^Here, 
Lord, am I and they whom thou hast given 
me!" 



81 



VII 
AQUILA AND PEISCILLA 



83 



I will sing you first this song: 

^'When saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither 
And hear how these two pilgrims talk together; 
Yea, let them learn of them in any wise, 
Thus to keep ope their drowsy, slmnb'ring eyes/'' 



84 



yn 

AQUILA AND PRISCILLA 

In 54 A.D., this man and his wife were pur- 
suing their trade as tentmakers at Corinth, 
whither they had come in pursuance of a 
recent edict of the Emperor against the 
Jews. (Acts 18:1-3.) It chanced that at 
that time Paul was carrying on an evan- 
gelistic campaign in the same city, and, 
being a tent-maker by trade and needing 
work, he found his way to Aquila's shop. 
As he plied the needle he related to his fel- 
low-workmen the wonderful story of his con- 
version and explained the Good News. They 
welcomed it gladly and were known thence- 
forth as followers of Christ. 

Of all PauPs helpers none were to prove 
themselves more helpful than these two. A 
lonely man, he was in constant need of the 
comfort which such a home-making couple 
could provide for him. 

A few years later Paul went to Ephesus 

85 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

and they with him. He soon departed for 
Jerusalem however to attend one of the an- 
nual feasts, and his work was left in their 
hands- Meanwhile a learned Jew of Alexan- 
dria, named Apollos, had come to the city 
and, being eloquent and mighty in the Scrip- 
tures, was teaching ^^ diligently the things 
of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of 
John." In other words, he perceived that 
the times were out of joint and anticipated 
the coming of the kingdom; but the larger 
truths of the Gospel were as yet unknown 
to him. In some manner he came under the 
influence of Aquila and Priscilla, and "they 
expounded unto him the way of God more 
perfectly.'^ (Acts 18:24r-26.) This appears 
to have been the first Theological Seminary 
of the Christian Church : ]3rimitive, indeed, 
yet it may be doubted whether in all the 
world there was another institution of learn- 
ing where the truth was more sincerely or 
comprehensively taught. Not Zeno's 
Painted Porch, nor Plato's Academy, nor 
Gamaliel's school at Jerusalem could have 
so well equipped ApoUos for his work as an 
evangelist. 

86 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

In Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians 
(1 Cor. 16: 19) mention is made of Aquila 
and Priscilla and ^Hhe church that is in their 
house.'' This probably means no more 
than that, at stated times, the followers of 
Christ met and worshiped together at their 
family altar: nevertheless the domestic 
circle is thus invested with a peculiar sanc- 
tity as the germ of that great organism 
which we call the Church of God. 

Later they were at Rome as Paul's 
helpers. It would appear that they had been 
involved in some sort of persecution, from 
which they had rescued Paul at the peril of 
their lives. (Rom. 16:3-5.) And again 
mention is made of *Hhe church that is in 
their house." A strange contrast this to St. 
Peter 's in the Rome of to-day ! That humble 
church in the tentmakers^ home had no 
tiaraed Pope, no imposing College of Car- 
dinals, no elaborate paraphernalia of wor- 
ship; yet great was God's blessing upon it. 

The last mention of Aquila and Priscilla 
finds them back at Ephesus in the year 66. 
(2 Tim. 4: 19.) There is a tradition that on 
the 8th of July — the day set apart for them 

87 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

in the martyrology of the Romish ChTirch 
^ — the faithful couple were led out beyond 
the walls and beheaded. It is easy to fill in 
the details of the pathetic picture; each 
looked at the other with eyes full of love, as 
if to say, ^^ Farewell; fear not!^' There was 
a flash of the blade, and they were at home 
with God. 

The story of Aquila and Priscilla is a 
heautiful idyl of home-life. The religion of 
Christ is singular in the emphasis which it 
puts upon the privileges and responsibilities 
of the domestic sphere. It is written that 
when Sayka-Muni had discovered ^Hhe 
Great Truth," and had determined to devote 
himself to its propagation, he came to his 
home in the night-time and, finding his wife 
asleep, with her infant beside her, he softly 
kissed her, said farewell and went his way. 
This was Mahabanish kramana, ''the Great 
Eenunciation.'' He saw his home thence- 
forth no more, but, sitting under the sacred 
Bo-tree, gave himself to meditation, losing 
himself in contemplation of the Ineffable 
One. How striking the contrast between 
this and the life of Jesus! At the home in 

8S 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Nazareth lie was '^subject unto his par- 
ents''; at the home in Bethany he found rest 
and comfort during the troubled years of 
his ministry; at the home in Cana he laid 
his benediction upon the delights of social 
life ; and when he would portray the glories 
of heaven, he spoke not of a city, nor of a 
better country, nor of a garden of delights, 
but of home, sweet home. ^^In my Father's 
house are many mansions ; if it were not so 
I would have told you. I go to prepare a 
place for you. " 

Here is a pleasant picture also of wedded 
love. Aquila and Priscilla are always named 
together, as if they were inseparable; but, 
singularly, the order varies, suggesting that 
there was no strife for the pre-eminence. It 
reminds us of what Jeremy Taylor said: 
^'When God created woman, he made her 
not of Adam's head, as if she were to rule 
over him ; nor out of his feet, as if he were 
to rule over her ; but from his side, close by 
his heart, because he should ever love and 
honor and protect her." 

In these days of loose thinking and looser 
living in these premises, it is well to empha- 

89 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

size the fact that wedlock is a divine ordi- 
nance. It is not a sacrament; wherever so 
regarded, as among all the Latin nations, 
immorality prevails. But this union was 
ordained of God in the time of man's inno- 
cency. ^^It is not good," he said, '^for man 
to be alone"; wherefore he made woman to 
be his helpmeet. The generic man, the so- 
cial unit, is not one but two in one ; as it is 
written, ^^Male and female created he them, 
and blessed them, and called their name 
Adam." (Gen. 5:2.) 

This union is, further, pronounced to be 
^^honorable in all/^ A Scotch girl to whom 
her minister had said, ^^ Janet, it is a very 
serious thing to be married," answered with- 
out hesitation, ^^Aye, minister, I ken it is a 
serious thing to be married, but it is more 
serious no' to be. " The humor of the canny 
lass was quite eclipsed by her philosophy. 
There is such a thing as ^^ single blessed- 
ness"; but it stands as the exception and not 
the rule. Blessedness is a path for two. It 
has been truly said of wedlock, ^^It halves 
our sorrows and doubles our joys." 

But there are two conditions affixed to an 

90 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

ideal marriage. One is mutual love. There 
is no place in the divine economy for a 
^^ marriage of convenience." It is a per- 
version of the order of nature and a trav- 
esty on the ordinance of God. You may 
carpet your floors with softest velvet, cover 
your walls with richest tapestries, fill the at- 
mosphere with music of harp and dulcimer, 
and spread your table with all rare and deli- 
cate viands; but if love be wanting your 
home will be no better than a lodge in a 
garden of cucumbers. On the other hand, 
the nearest approach to heaven is ^4ove in a 
cottage. ' ' The hail may rattle on the roof, 
the snows sift under the eaves, the grate be 
cold and the larder empty; the wolf may 
howl at the door, the King of Terrors him- 
self may stand beckoning at the threshold, 
but if love abides within, all's well. 

A man in public life, well-known and dis- 
tinguished among our law-makers, whose 
domestic establishment is a proverb for hos- 
pitality and whose wife is a recognized 
leader in society, recently said, ^^Our hearts 
go back longingly to the days when we lived 
in a home of two rooms, practising petty 

91 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

economies to make both ends meet ; when we 
were apart from the world and alone with 
each other; those were our happiest days.'' 

Love is better than beauty or wit; 

Love is better than gold; 
Love is not found in the marketplace; 

Love is not bought and sold. 

The other condition of ideal happiness is 
to be joined in the Lord. It has been wisely 
said, ^^Be not unequally yoked together." 
(2 Cor. 6 : 14.) This is an old-fashioned pre- 
cept ; but its wisdom is certified by the sor- 
row of many lives. It is obvious that when 
husband and wife are at odds concerning 
the fundamental facts of religion they are 
not ^^ united as one.'' A Christian thinks 
more of his religion than of anything else ; 
it is his meat and drink ; it is the very air he 
breathes. The name of his Saviour is as 
ointment poured forth ; he lives for Christ, 
and is willing to die for him. How, under 
such circumstances, can one be happily 
joined to another who is averse to such con- 
siderations or quite indifferent to them? 
The advice of Paul to couples who are thus 

92 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

matched but not mated is found in 1 Cor- 
inthians 7 : 12-17 : but an ounce of preven- 
tion is worth a pound of cure. A duet of 
musical instruments is impossible except as 
they are keyed to the same pitch. There 
are many who, failing to remember this, 
have married in haste to repent at leisure. 

The family altar is the heart of the Chris- 
tian home. It is as true now as in the days 
of Obed-edom that God prospers the home 
where the ark abides. In the morning, when 
each member of the household sets forth 
upon a day of unknown duties and dangers, 
is it not well to kneel together and offer 
prayer like that of the Breton mariner, ^'O 
Lord, keep me ; my boat is so little and the 
ocean so wide''? At eventide is it not well 
to invoke the protecting care of God"? In 
the hour of sorrow, when sickness invades 
the home or when there is a crape on the 
door, there are strength and comfort and 
hope in clasping hands at the doorway of the 
Holiest of All. It is a grave responsibility 
which a father takes who allows his children 
to grow up to maturity and pass out into the 
responsibilities of life without having heard 

93 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

his voice lifted in their behalf at the throne 
of the heavenly grace. 

We glory in our American homes ; but be- 
fore the foundations of this Republic were 
laid the Christian home had its place among 
the Scottish hills. ^^The church in the 
house'' was kept up at peril of life and con- 
fiscation of goods by those who were pledged 
to Christ's crown and covenant ! Very many 
of our lyrics of domestic life are of Scottish 
birth. One of them is ^^The Cotter's Satur- 
day Mght. " The steps of the weary worker 
are quickened as he catches sight of the light 
in the window : 

His wee bit ingle, blinkin' bonnilie, 

His clean hearthstane, his thrifliie wifie's smile. 

The lisping infant prattling on his knee, 
Does a' his weary carking cares beguile. 
And makes him quite forget his labor and his toil. 



The cheerfu' supper done, wi^ serious face 

They, round the ingle, form a circle wide; 
The sire turns o^er, wi' patriarchal grace. 

The big ha'-Bible, ance his father^s pride; 

His bonnet reverently is laid aside. 
His lyart haffets wearing thin an^ bare: 

Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide, 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

He wales a portion with judicious care; 

And ^'Let us worship God!" he says with solemn air. 



From scenes like these old Scotia's grandeur springs, 
That makes her loved at home, revered abroad. 

And another is ^^John Anderson, My Jo.'' 
The faithful wife, on whose cheeks the rose 
has faded, in whose eyes the light is dim, 
looks up into the face of her gray-haired 
companion and sings with quavering voice : 

'^John Anderson my jo, John, 

When we were first acquent. 
Your locks were like the raven. 

Your bonnie brow was brent; 
But now your brow is beld, John, 

Your locks are like the snaw; 
But blessings on your frosty pow, 

John Anderson my jo! 

"John Anderson my jo, John, 

We clamb the hill thegither; 
And mony a canty day, John, 
WeVe had wi' ane anither. 
Now we maun totter down, John, 

But hand in hand we'll go; 
Ard sleep thegither at the foot, 
John Anderson my jo/' 
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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

And another of these home-songs tells of the 
Eeconciliation. The husband has quarreled 
with his gnde-wif e and speaks entreatingly : 

'Thou hast sworn by thy God, my Jeanie, 

By that pretty white hand o' thine, 
And by a' the lowing stars o' heaven 

That thou wad aye be mine. 

''And I hae sworn by my God, my Jeanie, 

And by that kind heart o^ thine. 
By a' the stars sown thick o'er heaven, 

That thou shalt aye be mine. 

"Then foul fa' the hands that wad loose sic bands 
And the heart- that wad part sic love; 

But there is nae hand can lose my band 
But the finger o' Him above. 

"Come here to me, thou lass o' my love, 

Come here and kneel wi' me: 
The morn is fu' o' the presence o' God, 

And I canna pray without thee. 

"The Book maun be ta'en when the carle comes hame 

Wi' the holy psalmodie; 
And thou maun speak o' me to thy God, 

And I will speak o' thee.'' 

But Aqnila and Priscilla, husband and 
wife, were also partners in faithful service. 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

It would appear that they shared the duties 
of their workshop. It is much to say that 
they were not ashamed of manual toil, since 
in those days it was regarded as the business 
of slaves. The life of Jesus as the Carpenter 
of Nazareth has done much to reverse that 
judgment, although there are still some who 
deem it more honorable to live by the sweat 
of their fathers' faces than of their own. 
But these tentmakers of Pontus were not 
ashamed of their craft. It is safe to say 
moreover that the product of their labor was 
known for its excellent quality. Their tents 
were made of honest goat's-hair, sewn with 
honest seams and disposed of at an honest 
price. The trade-mark ^^A. & P." would 
mean much among the dwellers in tents of 
those days. 

But Aquila and Priscilla did not confine 
their attention to handicraft; they were in 
the higher service of the kingdom of Christ. 
Though not in holy orders, they were faith- 
ful in the preaching of the Gospel and 
showed its excellency in their walk and con- 
versation. The supreme need of our time is 
not more preachers but more consecrated 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

laymen ; more men and women ready to ex- 
emplify their religion in the common duties 
of life. 

It was a goodly sight when the Crusader 
rode forth from his walled castle, clad in 
chain armor, his plume waving, banner fly- 
ing, lance poised, in quest of valorous deeds. 
The world looked on while he strove in the 
tourney or championed the weak and help- 
less or fought for the conquest of the Holy 
Sepulchre. But it is a grander sight before 
God when a man, with no blazonry of pomp 
or circumstance, addresses himself day by 
day to labor of love and patience of hope. 
Such an one was Charles Kingsley of gra- 
cious memory, of whom his wife wrote: 
^^The outside world must judge him as an 
author, a preacher, a member of society, but 
those only who lived with him in the inti- 
macy of every-day life at home can tell what 
he was as a man. Over the real romance of 
his life and over the tenderest, loveliest pas- 
sages in his private letters a veil must be 
thrown, but it will not be lifting it too far 
to say that if in the highest, closest of 
earthly relationships a love that never failed 

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— pure, patient, passionate — for six-and- 
tMrty years, a love which never stooped 
from its own lofty level to a hasty word, an 
impatient gesture or a selfish act, in sickness 
or in health, in sunshine or in storm, by day 
or by night, could prove that the age of chiv- 
alry has not passed away forever, then 
Charles Kingsley fulfilled the ideal of a 
^most true and perfect knight' to the one 
woman blest with that love in time and to 
eternity. To eternity, for such love is 
eternal, and he is not dead. He himself, the 
man, the lover, husband, father, friend — he 
still lives in God, who is not the God of the 
dead, but of the living." 

Are such lives unnoticed ? Nay, they are 
^^ compassed about with witnesses.'' The 
galleries are filled! The Master himself 
looks on; and every word that his diffident 
follower speaks in the interest of truth and 
righteousness, every stretching forth of the 
helping hand, every denial of self, is re- 
corded in heaven. It is said that the vibra- 
tion of the atmosphere produced by speech 
is so rapidly diffused that within twenty 
hours the entire aerial envelope of the earth 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

is affected by it. Our life puts on a serious 
aspect when we pause to consider that the 
very air into which we are speaking is a vast 
auditorium, wherein our utterances are pre- 
served forever. This puts an emphasis upon 
the precept, ^^Do ye nexte thynge.'' Let us 
not complain of the narrowness of our 
sphere, but rather seek earnestly to fill it. 
^^Go down to thy house," said Jesus to the 
man of Gadara, who, in gratitude for heal- 
ing, desired to follow Christ as a disciple — 
^^ Return to thine house and show how great 
things God hath done unto thee." 

In memory of the quiet but useful lives 
of the many Aquilas and Priscillas whom 
we have known, let us do with our might 
whatsoever our hands find to do, at home, in 
the marketplace, in the fellowship of the 
evangel; and may the God whose eyes run 
to and fro through all the earth take knowl- 
edge of the work of our hands and establish 
it upon us. 



100 



VIII 

APOLLOS: ''MIGHTY IN THE 
SCRIPTURES" 



101 



Then said the Interpreter, ^The Comforter be 
always with thee, good Christian, to guide thee in 
the way that leads to the city." So Christian went 
on his way, saying, 

''Here I have seen things rare and profitable, 
Things pleasant, dreadful, things to make me stable 
In what I have begun to take in hand: 
Then let me think on them, and understand 
Wherefore they showed me were, and let me be 
Thankful, good Interpreter, to thee." 



1Q2 



VIII 

APOLLOS: ^^MIGHTY IN THE 
SCEIPTURES'' 

All that we know of ApoUos is gathered 
from a single paragraph in the Acts of the 
Apostles with a few casual references in the 
Epistles. As we put together these scat- 
tered items of information we shall find our- 
selves reading 

A Tale of Four Cities. 

The paragraph referred to is as follows : 

A certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, 
an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came 
to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of 
the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit he spake 
and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing 
only the baptism of John. And he began to speak 
boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and 
Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and 
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 
And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia the 

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brethren wrote exhorting the disciples to receive him: 
who, when he was come, helped them much which 
had believed through grace: for he mightily convinced 
the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scrip- 
tures that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 18: 24-28. 



I. Alexan^dkia 

The early life of ApoUos was spent in this 
wonderful city, which was the meeting-place 
of Eastern and Western civilization in the 
early centuries of the Christian era. Here 
was the forum where Paganism, Judaism 
and Christianity met for what proved to be 
a conclusive discussion of their respective 
claims. The learning of the world was cen- 
tered there. Greek philosophers touched 
elbows with Jewish rabbis and Christian 
fathers. The lines of controversy by degrees 
converged upon the Old Testament ; for the 
better understanding of which a translation 
was made out of the Hebrew into the Greek 
language : and that translation, the Septua- 
gint, remains as a monument of erudition to 
this day. 

The name of Apollos would indicate that 
he was a Jew by adoption only. His par- 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

ents would scarcely have named him after 
Apollo had they not been worshipers of the 
pagan gods; though, like multitudes of 
others in Alexandria, they had probably be- 
come ^^ proselytes," that is, worshipers of 
the true God, 

In any case it is certain that ApoUos was 
'instructed in the way of the Lord." In 
his study of the Old Testament he had dis- 
covered the golden thread of Messianic 
prophecy running through all its pages from 
the protevangel of Paradise, respecting the 
Seed of woman who was to come in the ful- 
ness of time to '^ bruise the serpent's head," 
down to Malachi's glowing vision of the Sun 
of Righteousness who should ''arise with 
healing in his wings." 

Then came the news from a far country 
that John the Baptist was heralding the 
near approach of the Messiah and calling 
upon the people to repent and prepare the 
way before him. To this the young student 
of the Scriptures responded with a ready 
heart. So far he was able to go and no 
farther. He knew only "the baptism of 
John," that is, the baptism unto repentance 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

and preparation for the coming of Christ. 
He lived up to his light and was prepared to 
welcome more light whenever it should come 
to him. What more does the good God ask 
of any man ? 

This is the secret of ^^ growing in grace 
and in the knowledge of Christ.'^ An 
earnest seeker after truth — with no hood- 
wink over his eyes and an open door for rev- 
elations from above — will always find it. 
And his path will surely lead him into the 
presence of him who said ^^I am the Truth.'' 
For so it is written, ' ' To him that hath shall 
be given." There is always more light ahead 
for those who walk as children of the day. 

II. Ephesus 

So it happened that Apollos ^^came to 
Ephesus.'' Though no reason is given for 
his coming to that city of blind Jews and 
pleasure-loving pagans, it may be surmised 
from the fact that on his arrival he immedi- 
ately ^' spake and taught accurately the 
things concerning Jesus" up to the full 
measure of his light. His information was 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

limited to what lie had been able to learn of 
the Messiah from his acquaintance with the 
Old Testament plus the teaching of John 
the Baptist: but this was enough to move 
him with an earnest desire to propagate the 
truth. It was like a fire in his bones ; for as 
a man of fervent spirit he could not rest 
until he had told these benighted people the 
Good News. 

What a man have we here ! He did not, 
like Jonah, have to be told twice to go with 
his message of hope to a people who needed 
it, nor did he fall asleep in the hold of 
a vessel on his way. Here he is, ^^ speaking 
boldly in the synagogue." Great things are 
to be expected of such a man. 

It chanced that among his hearers in the 
synagogue were two people who had been 
converted through the ministry of Paul on 
his previous visit to this city : the tent-maker 
Aquila and his wife Priscilla. (Acts 18: 
1-3.) They were humble folk, by no means 
on a level with ApoUos in education or so- 
cial life; but their hearts went out to him 
as one feeling his way through the twilight 
toward the Truth. They ventured to ap- 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

proach him, talked with Mm, *Hook him 
unto them, and expounded mito him the 
Way of God more accurately." (The name 
by which the followers of Christ were called 
at that time was ^ ^people of that Way,'') 

Let us get this picture before us : A tent- 
maker's shop; a man and his wife busy at 
their trade; before them an Alexandrian 
scholar drinking in their words. Was ever 
a Theological Seminary like that ? But what 
if our Theological Seminaries were to make 
a note of it ? What if Aquila and Priscilla 
chairs were established for the ^^more ac- 
curate exposition of the Way " ? Why not ? 
Theology is good but religion is better. The 
Way is everything. Doctors of Divinity are 
mere lay figures unless they are evangelists 
over and above all. 



III. COEINTH 

Now turn to First Corinthians 3 : 1-6 : 

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto 
spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in 
Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat: 
for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS * 

now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas 
there is among you envying and strife and divisions, 
are ye not carnal and walk as men? For while one 
saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are 
ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, 
but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord 
gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; 
but God gave the increase. 

It thus appears that Apollos had found 
his way to Corinth. (Acts 19 : 1.) Here was 
a larger parish for him. The city swarmed 
with tradesmen and pleasure-seekers from 
everywhere. What a field for a preacher 
equipped as Apollos now was with the pan- 
oply of the Gospel ! By reason of his learn- 
ing and eloquence he forged to the front. 
It was not long before the members of the 
Corinthian Church began to contrast his up- 
standing figure and commanding oratory 
with the *^mean presence'' and modest 
speech of Paul their former pastor. Then 
came a division into parties. Some said, *^I 
am of Paul/' others, ^^I am of Apollos," and 
they were pulling apart. Alas, that there 
should be such divisions in the body of 
Christ I 

109 



• PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Up to this time, so far as we know, Paul 
and ApoUos had never met. News of the 
sad state of affairs in the Corinthian Church 
reached Paul as he was off somewhere in 
Macedonia, on his second missionary- 
journey ; and he immediately sat down and 
wrote to Corinth about it. (1 Cor. 3: 1-9.) 
His reference to the trouble gives us a clear 
sidelight into the character of Paul. He be- 
trays not a sign of envy or jealousy toward 
this unknown man who had apparently un- 
dermined him in the affections of his former 
parishioners, but sinks all personal con- 
siderations in fraternal magnanimity and 
loyalty to Christ. (1 Cor. 4:6.) 

Not long after this Paul met ApoUos and 
a friendship began which continued during 
the remainder of their lives. It was in 
Ephesus, about a.d. 57. (1 Cor. 16: 12.) The 
probability is that ApoUos had left Corinth 
on account of the feeling of partisanship 
that developed among the Christians there. 
Paul wanted him to go back but he would 
not. ''I besought him much," he says, ^^but 
it was not at all his will. ' ' Here was a strife 
between two brethren, neither of whom was 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

willing to win glory at the cost of the other : 
a blessed exhibit of "the mind that was in 
Christ Jesus/' who said, '' Whosoever would 
be first among you shall be servant of all." 

IV. NiCOPOLIS 

Eight years have passed. Paul, after his 
imprisonment in the Praetorian camp at 
Rome, has ^^ escaped from the mouth of the 
lion.''^ Old, half blind and worn out, he 
straightway plans another missionary 
journey. It reminds one of the old couplet 

^'Tumble me down, and I will sit 
Exultant on my ruins yet.'^ 

He takes ship with a group of helpers 
and, leaving Titus on the island of Crete to 
minister in that difficult field, sails on to 
Macedonia where he pauses to rest and 
preach in the ancient city of Mcopolis. 
While there he writes a letter to Titus for 
his encouragement and sends it by the hand 
of Apollos, who is accomj)anied by a 
''lawyer'' named Zenas, of whom we know 

* Nero, for obvious reasons, was familiarly known as ''The 
Lion." 

Ill 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

no more. (Titus 3: 13.) Not long after the 
writing of this letter Paul was re-arrested 
and carried back to Rome to his execution. 
This ends the story of Paul and his friend. 

The story of ApoUos, though so brief and 
fragmentary, gives us the portrait of a man 
remarkable first as a scholar, second as an 
orator of unusual ability; third as an en- 
thusiast, ^ ^fervent in spirit''; and fourth, 
as ^^one mighty in the Scriptures.'' This 
last characteristic was the secret of his 
power. 

And this power is within the reach of 
every Christian who will take it. There is 
many a humble mother in Israel, unfamiliar 
with the wisdom of the schools, who will re- 
ceive titular honors in heaven because, to 
quote the words of Cowper, she ^^just knew, 
and knew no more, her Bible true." 

In Fronde's life of John Bunyan he says 
that while writing ^^ Pilgrim's Progress" in 
Bedford jail, he had only two books; but 
^^one of these," he adds, ^^was the Bible, 
which of itself alone is a liberal education." 
Many a man has found it so. 

The best people in the world are those 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

who know the Bible and live up to it. The 
most efficient preachers are those whose 
preaching is in line with the promise, "My 
word shall not return unto me void; but it 
shall accomplish that which I please and it 
shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.'' 
The best course of study ever marked out 
for those who would fit themselves for use- 
fulness in the Christian life is that which 
Paul prescribed for a young friend: ^^ Study 
to show thyself approved unto God, a work- 
man that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly 
dividing the word of truth. ' ' (2 Tim. 2 : 15.) 



113 



IX 

"ONE MNASON OF CYPRUS' 



115 



So thither they came; and he called at the door, 
and the old man within knew his tongue as soon as 
ever he heard it; so he opened the door, and they 
all came in. Then said Mnason their host, '^How 
far have ye come to-day?'^ So they said, 'Trom the 
house of Gains our friend/' '^I promise you," said 
he, "you have gone a good stitch. You may well be 
weary: sit down." So they sat down. 



116 



IX 

^^ONE MNASON OF CYPRUS'' 

It was when Paul was on the closing lap 
of Ms third missionary journey that he first 
met this man. He was then going up to 
Jerusalem at peril of his life. His Ephesian 
friends came over to Miletus, where his ship 
was swinging at anchor, to give him fare- 
well. In vain did they endeavor to dissuade 
him from his purpose : he was under orders 
and must go. Whereupon a number of them, 
among whom was Mnason, volunteered to 
accompany him. Here is Luke's account of 
it: 

^There went with us also certain of the disciples 
of Csesarea, and brought with them one Mnason oi 
Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge/' 

This is all the information we have re- 
specting this man: but a good deal can be 
made of it by a proper use of the imagina- 
tion. There are people who seem to think 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

that the only use of the imagination is in 
drawing the long bow : on the contrary it is 
impossible to tell the truth without it. A 
mere statement of fact is not the whole truth, 
any more than a man is a man until he have 
flesh on his bones. If one would read the 
sum total of anything he must always read 
between the lines. 

Otherwise, for example, how are we going 
to read the story of the Prodigal Son? I 
say, ^^The father of the Prodigal used to 
come down to his gate day after day and look 
away beyond the hills and wonder and hope 
and'' — ^^Not at all," says the liter alist; 
^^ there is nothing like that in the story." 
Quite right ; nevertheless, the story wouldn't 
be wholly true without it. 

I say, ^^When the boy came back his 
father was so glad to see him that he not 
only ^went out to meet him while he was yet 
a great way off' but threw his arms around 
his neck and drowned his voice with kisses." 
^^ That's pure invention," says Simon Pure. 
But let us see. You remember the speech 
the penitent boy composed when he was sit- 
ting on the trough in the swine-field : ^'I will 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

arise and go unto my father and say, 
^Father, I have sinned against heaven and 
in thy sight and am no more worthy to be 
called thy son : make me as one of thy hired 
servants' ": and you remember how he ar- 
rived with his carefully prepared speech on 
the tip of his tongue but only delivered a 
part of it. Just as he was about to apply for 
a situation as hired servant there came an 
interruption ; that was when ^^his father fell 
upon his neck and kissed him/' Now put 
two and two together and you can under- 
stand why the speech of the prodigal ended 
with a dash. So I say it is impossible to get 
the whole truth without using one's imagina- 
tion in reading between the lines. 

I. A moment ago it was observed that 
Paul's first meeting with Mnason was on the 
seashore at Miletus. Of course the story 
does not say so ; but why should it say ''one 
Mnason"? If Paul and he had been previ- 
ously acquainted is it likely that he would 
have been referred to in that way ? 

II. We are informed that Mnason was 
^^of Cyprus," an island in the Mediterra- 
nean which played no unimportant part in 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

history. Cato, Cicero, Alexander and no 
end of other celebrities were in one way or 
another associated with it. To have a home 
in Cyprus was to be a man of some import- 
ance in those days. 

III. He had also a home in Jerusalem; 
from which we infer that he was a man of 
substance. Not every one can afford, even 
in these prosperous times, to have a summer 
home in the mountains and a winter home 
by the sea. Moreover the house in Jerusa- 
lem was commodious enough to a:fford en- 
tertainment for the proprietor's friends. 
Thus everything seems to intimate that 
Mnason was a prosperous man. And, in his 
prosperity, it would appear that he regarded 
himself as a steward, using aright what the 
Lord had entrusted to him. 

IV. He was ' ' a disciple. ' ' It was not the 
common fashion as yet to speak of the fol- 
lowers of Christ as ^^ Christians '%• but to be 
called disciples, or pupils of Christ, was a 
great honor. To sit at his feet, learning of 
him, is to be growing in wisdom every day. 
This was why he said of Mary of Bethany 
that she had *^ chosen the good part which 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

should not be taken away from her/' (Luke 
10:42.) 

V- He was ^^an old disciple." In the 
year 46 Paul had visited Cyprus, on his first 
missionary journey; but, apart from the 
conversion of Sergius Paulus, the Gov- 
ernor of the island, there was little to show 
for his ministry there. (Acts 13 : 4^12.) The 
probability is that Mnason was somewhere 
else at the time ; but on his return he would 
be likely to hear all about the apostle's mes- 
sage : and possibly this was when he accepted 
Christ. If so he was now fifteen years ^^old" 
in the Christian life. 

VI. But the better rendering is ^ ^ an early 
disciple." (R. V.) As such he may have 
heard the preaching of Christ himself and 
been converted by it. Or perhaps he was 
among those Cretans (Acts 2 :11) who, in the 
open court at Jerusalem, under the power 
of the Holy Ghost, were ^^ pricked in their 
heart," crying, ^^Men and brethren, what 
shall we do?" If so, he may then have 
heeded the call of Peter, ^'Repent and be 
baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ. " This would make him thirty 

121 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

years ^^old" in the Christian life. A ^^ dis- 
ciple'' for thirty years and still going to 
school. This is as it should be: for in the 
University of Truth one is never too old to 
learn. And think what a fund of helpful 
experience this faithful pupil must have ac- 
quired in the meantime ; how he must have 
grown in the knowledge of Christ and of the 
great verities and practicalities that center 
in him ! 

VII. He was a broad-minded Christian. 
How do we know that ? From the fact that 
he was in accord with Paul's missionary 
work. If Paul were to present his plans in 
some of our modern churches there are pro- 
fessing Christians who would say, ''Why go 
to the regions beyond when there are so 
many of the unconverted here in Jerusalem ? 
'Charity begins at home.' " But Mnason's 
charity, while it began at home, was not so 
wizened as to stay there. He may have heard 
the Master say, "Go ye into all the world 
and preach the Gospel to every creature"; 
and he knew that followers of Christ could 
only fulfill that commission by going, and 



122 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

keeping on going, until they should have 
carried the Gospel to the last man. 

VIII. And, finally, Mnason was a hospit- 
able man. His entertainment of Paul was, 
however, more than mere compliance with 
a custom which was universal in the Orient 
of those days: it was a happy recognition 
of the fellowship of saints. ^^Be not forget- 
ful to entertain strangers,'' says one of the 
inspired writers, ^^for thereby some have 
entertained angels unawares.'' (Hebrews 
13 : 2 ; cf Gen. 19 : 1-3.) The sojourn of Paul 
in Mnason 's home in Jerusalem must, in- 
deed, have been like an angel's visit. What 
an interchange of rich experience there 
would be between these veterans, the old 
missionary and his genial host! 

Here we shall have to leave them. Paul's 
^^ patient continuance" was drawing to a 
close. While a guest in that home in Jeru- 
salem he was arrested and placed in the 
Castle of Antonia; thence to prison in 
Caesarea; thence to Eome and a martyr's 
death. But old Mnason may have lingered 
on. 

^^Old Mnason?" What is finer than a 

123 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Lapland winter? In the rare atmosphere 
of a life maturing under the shadow of the 
Cross one can look so far both ways ! As 
one's vessel leaves her moorings the skipper 
toasts ^^The friends astern!" and farther 
out, ^^The friends ahead!'' A mother in Is- 
rael, much given to gazing upward, said, ^^I 
always see the letter W yonder, as plain as 
if it were written across the sky." It stood 
for ^^ Welcome." The Lord be praised for 
such an outlook ! But, if we live to grow old, 
may we never be so engaged with either the 
retrospect or the prospect as not to be able 
to address ourselves with holy zeal and pur- 
pose to the business immediately in hand; 
which is to make each passing moment of 
our lives endear us more and more to the 
Father's heart by loyalty to his beloved Son. 



124 



X 



EPAPHRODITUS : COMRADE 
IN ARMS 



126 



Now Mr. Great-heart was a strong man, so he was 
not afraid of a lion. But yet when they were come 
up to the place where the lions were, the boys that 
went before were now glad to cringe behind, for they 
were afraid of the lions; so they stepped back and 
went behind. At this their guide smiled and said, 
'^How now, my boys; do you love to go before when 
no danger doth approach, and love to come behind 
so soon as the lions appear ?^^ 



126 



EPAPHRODITUS : COMRADE 
IN ARMS 

The story is of a journey made by a kind- 
hearted man to relieve the need of an old 
minister who had worn himself out in the 
service of Christ. It is told in a nutshell. 
See Philippians 2: 25-30 and 4: 18. 

The most important parish Paul ever had 
was in the Praetorian camp at Rome. He 
was a prisoner, to be sure, chained to a sol- 
dier day and night : but he ^^ dwelt in his own 
hired house and received all that came in 
unto him.'' (Acts 28:30, 31.) He began 
his ministry there a.d. 63, and for two years 
continued to teach ^^ those things which con- 
cern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confi- 
dence, no man forbidding him.'' 

In giving an account of his circumstances 
at this time he says, ^^I suffer trouble as an 
evil-doer even unto bonds : but the word of 

127 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

God is not bound.'' (2 Tim. 2: 9.) He could 
always count on one hearer at least, namely, 
the soldier chained to his wrist : and we may 
be snre he preached the Gospel to him. 
There were other soldiers, too, who would 
be talking with one another over what Paul 
had to say. These men of the Roman army 
were recruited from all nations and liable 
to be sent at any moment to a remote part 
of the world ; and certainly they would carry 
the Gospel with them. Besides, there were 
^ ^members of Caesar's household," that is, 
influential persons attached to the imperial 
service, who would naturally desire to hear 
Paul: and we are definitely informed that 
some of these were converted to Christ. 
(Phil. 4: 22.) It is probable also that other 
citizens of Eome would be curious to inter- 
view a prisoner whose extraordinary learn- 
ing was everywhere spoken of. 

So Paul had no lack of an audience. And 
if there were any spare moments he knew 
how to fill them. Four of his weightiest 
Epistles were written during this imprison- 
ment, being dictated to some friendly aman- 
uensis and signed with a chained hand. 

128 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Those letters, like leaves of the tree of life, 
went fluttering out to the scattered churches 
and down the ages even to us. 

A busy parish, indeed, but a wearing one. 
Paul was now an old man, weary with a life- 
time of unremitting toil and burdened with 
^^oft infirmities." A sick old man! And 
poor; for being unable to longer support 
himself by his trade as a tent-maker, he was, 
like Elijah by the brook Cherith, wholly de- 
pendent on the ravens of God. And the 
ravens did not fail him. 

In the city of Philippi, away in Mace- 
donia, the Christians heard that their old 
friend and minister was in need. What was 
to be done ? A ^ ^ donation party, '' of course. 
They made up a purse and chose a trust- 
worthy man to carry it to him. Here is 
where Epaphroditus comes in. He was the 
messenger. In acknowledging the gift Paul 
says : 

"I have all and abound: I am full, having received 
of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, 
an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well 
pleasing to God." 



129 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

On reaching Rome the messenger at once 
betook himself to the Praetorian camp. The 
last time he had seen Paul was probably five 
or six years before in Philippi, where the 
Christians kept the Passover with him. 
(Acts 20 : 6.) It is safe to say that Epaphro- 
ditus was greatly moved by the change 
which the intervening years of toil and suf- 
fering had wrought upon his old friend. But 
no time was lost in condolences; the ques- 
tion was, how could he help him? It was 
not enough to relieve his physical wants ; he 
needed some one to stand by him in his min- 
istry ; and this Epaphroditus resolved to do. 

He must have been a man of independent 
means : else how could he afford to make the 
long journey from Philippi to Rome and 
prolong his absence for an indefinite time? 
He must have remained with Paul for some 
months, probably more than a year — a long 
vacation for a man who was far from home 
and travelling at his own charges. But what 
a vacation it must have been for him ; listen- 
ing to Paul's ^^ breathing thoughts in words 
that burn'' and helping him in a hundred 
ways ! 

130 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

As the time drew near for his return a 
letter was written for him to carry back to 
the Philippian Church. In the beginning 
of this letter Paul says : 

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 
always in every prayer of mine for you all making 
request with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel 
from the first day until now/^ 

And further on: 

^^I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphrodi- 
tus, my brother and companion in labor and fellow- 
soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to 
my wants. For he longed after you all, and was full of 
heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been 
sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but 
God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but 
on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I 
sent him therefore the more carefully, that, when ye see 
him again, ye may rejoice, and that I may be the less 
sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with 
all gladness; and hold such in reputation: because 
for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not 
regarding his life, to supply your lack of service 
toward me." 

By this we are given to understand (1) 
that Epaphroditus while at Rome was taken 

131 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

desperately ill, being ^^nigh unto death"; 

(2) that his sickness was the result of his 
earnest devotion to ^Hhe work of Christ"; 

(3) that he was homesick, ^ longing after 
you all"; (4) that somehow his friends at 
Philippi were advised of his illness and 
were ^^ sorrowful" on that account; (5) that 
when Epaphroditus heard of their sorrow 
he was ^'fuU of heaviness"; (6) that his re- 
covery was due to a special ^^ mercy"; and 
(7) that as he was now returning to Phi- 
lippi, he and Paul with all his other friends 
would unite in thanksgiving to God. 

Now above all this, observe the threefold 
tribute which Paul pays to this man. 
I. He calls him ^^my brother." 
On a gravestone in a churchyard in Eng- 
land is a name followed by this brief inscrip- 
tion : ' ' The Friend of Milton. ' ' What honor 
in those simple words ; but how much more 
to have been a brother of Paul ! We are all 
sons of God by creation ; but alas ! alienated 
through sin. Were it not for the interposi- 
tion of Christ we should be hopelessly dis- 
inherited; but through him we receive ^Hhe 
spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba, 

132 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Father"; and so, being sons, we are also 
heirs, '^ heirs of God and joint-heirs with 
Christ to an inheritance incorruptible and 
undefiled and that fadeth not away.'' 

Not only so, we are thus brought into a 
new relation with each other by virtue of 
which we rightly call ourselves ^^ brethren." 
All this through him who, by his sacrificial 
interest in our welfare, became the ^^First- 
born among many brethren, ' ' that is to say, 
the Elder Brother of all who believe in him. 

But Paul meant even more than this. For, 
as Christ himself had a special place in his 
heart for John, Peter and James, "the 
chosen three," so we naturally come closer 
to some of our friends than to others. It is 
obvious that Epaphroditus, whose name 
means ^^ lovable," had made for himself a 
singular place in Paul's affection. How 
indeed could it have been otherwise, consid- 
ering that year of intimacy and mutual min- 
istry on the Palatine Hill ? 

II. He also calls him ^^my companion in 
labor." 

This must mean that he made himself use- 
ful in his ministry. Every pastor knows 

133 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

what a gracious and blessed thing it is to 
have the support and co-operation of the lay- 
men and lay-women of the parish. There 
are all sorts of people on the formal roll of 
every church; some of them recalcitrant, 
more of them smilingly indifferent, but 
others ^^ companions in labor.'' 

In looking back over the fifty years of my 
ministry I pay tribute gratefully not only 
to my Elders and Deacons, but to many 
^^ministering women'' and oftentimes 
humble men who, like Aaron and Hur, have 
held up my hands in the heat and burden of 
the day. How could I ever have gone on 
without them? 

In the gallery of the London Tabernacle 
a lone old woman used to sit, Sunday after 
Sunday, picking out a score of strange faces 
in the congregation for whom to pray during 
the week. Any one would have said she was 
past her usefulness: but when Spurgeon 
officiated at her funeral he gratefully re- 
ferred to her as his ^^best helper." Who 
knows how many souls she had prayed into 
the kingdom of God? 

III. Paul's last word as to Epaphroditus 

134 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

is his best one: he calls him "mj fellow- 
soldier, ' ' 

There is something pathetic in Paulas fre- 
quent references to -military service. He 
was himself the last man to be chosen as 
a soldier ; but how ambitious he was to put 
on the whole armor of Christ and serve him 
in the high places of the field! And was 
ever a more gallant knight than he, or ever 
a more puissant defender of the faith ? 

But they say, ''The faith needs no de- 
fence; it can defend itself." It is slackers 
who speak that way. Christians who make 
their influence tell are such as hold them- 
selves in readiness to maintain the truth 
with a kindly but uncompromising front 
against all comers. ''Here I stand," said 
Luther; "I cannot otherwise; God help 
me"; and with his hanuner on the Chapel 
door at Wittenberg he sent the thunders of 
the Reformation rolling around the world. 

Such a man was Paul; and in Epaphro- 
ditus he found a kindred spirit. In Rome 
they were under the shadow of the pagan 
gods. When God was blasphemed or the 
Cross reviled or the Scriptures assailed 

135 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

could these two co-workers in arms keep si- 
lence, think you ? Nay, as ' ' fellow-soldiers ' ' 
they stood with shields overlapped and 
lances poised for the defence of truth and 
righteousness. 

O God, to us may grace be given 
To follow in their train! 



136 



XI 

ONESIMUS: A SLAVE 



137 



Now a little before it was day good Christian, as 
one half amazed, brake out into this passionate speech: 
"What a fool/' quoth he, "am I, thus to lie in a dun- 
geon, when I may as well walk at liberty! I have a 
key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, I am 
persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle." Then 
said Hopeful, "That is good news; good brother, pluck 
it out of thy bosom and try." 



138 



XI 

ONESIMUS: A SLAVE 

The story of Onesimus is a melodrama in 
five scenes. 

Scene I. In the house of Philemon at 
Colosse, A.D. 56. 

For two years Paul had been preaching 
in Ephesus and the adjacent towns. One of 
these nearby towns was Colosse^ where Paul 
made the acquaintance of Philemon, a 
weaver of prominence. It is quite possible 
that Paul, who made his living by the kin- 
dred trade of tentmaking, had applied to 
Philemon for work. In due time, almost as 
a matter of course, this weaver was con- 
verted to Christ. His wife Apphia and his 
son Archippus were baptized with him : and 
presently we hear of ^'the church in the 
house of Philemon,'' which was destined to 
play an important part in subsequent events. 
In this house Paul was accustomed to hold 
divine service, with the family and neigh- 

139 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

bors gathered about him. The slaves of 
Philemon were also present, of whom he 
probably had a considerable nmnber en- 
gaged in his shop and warehouses. 

Get the picture in mind : Paul preaching 
in an open court ; before him Philemon with 
his wife Apphia and his son Archippus; 
friends, neighbors and many slaves among 
whom was Onesimus, his face troubled and 
resentful. He was probably a captive of 
war, the Roman custom being to reduce all 
such to slavery. If so, his bitter heart was 
poor soil for Gospel seed. The injustice of 
his bonds rankled within him. He was at 
odds with fate, with his master and with 
God. 

Scene II. In the Praetorian camp at 
Rome. A.D. 64. 

Eight years have passed. In the mean- 
time many things have happened. Paul had 
gone hither and yon on his missionary jour- 
neys, crossing deserts and climbing moun- 
tains to preach the Gospel of Christ. He 
had endured ^^ perils of robbers, perils by his 
own countrymen, perils by the heathen, 
perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, 

140 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

perils in the sea/' He had known ^* weari- 
ness and painfiihaess, hunger and thirst, 
fastings often, cold and nakedness.'' He 
had been stoned more than once and had suf- 
fered shipwreck. Five times he had ^^ re- 
ceived forty stripes save one." He had 
tasted prison fare in many cities. He had 
spent two dreary years in the Castle at 
Caesarea; after which, falling back on his 
rights as a Roman citizen, he had made his 
appeal to Caesar. He had now reached 
Rome. Though a prisoner in the barracks 
he was allowed a certain measure of free- 
dom, being permitted to dwell in ^'his own 
hired house" and to receive his friends. 

One day a wretched man in rags and 
tatters came to visit him. He was worn and 
emaciated, with a hunted look in his eyes. 
It was the slave Onesimus, who had heard 
the Gospel in the house of Philemon so long 
ago. Paul received him, won his confidence 
and brought him to the saving knowledge of 
Christ. Then came his confession: he had 
escaped from his master and had made his 
way through danger and difficulty to Rome, 
a thousand miles away. It sounds like the 

141 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

stories we used to hear of negroes fleeing 
through the Dismal Swamp with blood- 
hounds baying behind them. The runaway 
had hoped, no doubt, to lose himself among 
the throngs of Rome ; for there is no wilder- 
ness like a great city: but conscience pur- 
sued him. He confessed to Paul that he was 
not only a fugitive but a thief. He had 
robbed his master. How could he become 
a Christian with that frightful shadow over 
him ? The advice of Paul was that he should 
at once return to his master and give him- 
self up. 

Scene III. On shipboard, somewhere on 
the Adriatic. 

The slave, in pursuance of Paul's advice, 
has taken passage for Colosse. He carries 
with him a precious scroll, a letter addressed 
by Paul to his old master. He takes it from 
beneath the lapel of his cloak and reads it. 
Here it is.* 

'Taul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our 
brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker, 
and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow- 
soldier, and to the church in thy house : Grace to you 

* The Epistle to Philemon. 
142 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

I thank my God always, making mention of thee in 
my prayers, hearing of thy love and of the faith which 
thou hast toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the 
saints; that the fellowship of thy faith may become 
effectual in the knowledge of every good thing which 
is in you, unto Christ. For I had much joy and com- 
fort in thy love; because the hearts of the saints 
have been refreshed through thee, brother. 

Wherefore, though I have all boldness in Christ to 
enjoin thee that which is befitting, yet for love's sake 
I rather beseech, being such a one as Paul the aged, 
and now a prisoner also of Christ Jesus. I beseech 
thee for my child whom I have begotten in my bonds, 
Onesimus, who once was unprofitable to thee, but now 
is profitable to thee and to me: whom I have sent 
back to thee in his own person, that is, my very 
heart: whom I would fain have kept with me, that 
in my behalf he might minister unto me in the bonds 
of the Gospel: but without thy mind I would do 
nothing: that thy goodness should not be as of neces- 
sity but of free will. For perhaps he w^as therefore 
parted from thee for a season, that thou shouldest have 
him for ever: no longer as a servant, but more than a 
servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how 
much rather to thee, both in the flesh and in the 
Lord. If then thou countest me a partner, receive 
him as myself. But if he hath wronged thee at all, 
or oweth thee aught, put that to mine account: I 

143 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Paul write it with mine ow^n hand; I will repay it: 
that I say not unto thee that thou owest to me even 
thine own self besides. Yea, brother, let me have 
joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my heart in Christ. 

Having confidence in thine obedience I write unto 
thee, knowing that thou wilt do even beyond what I 
say. But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I 
hope that through yoiu* prayers I shall be granted 
unto you. 

Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, 
saluteth thee: and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, 
Luke, my fellow-v/orkers. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your 
spirit. Amen. 

This is, in some ways, the most remarK- 
able of all PauPs letters. (1) Observe its 
brevity: only twenty-five verses. (2) Its 
courtesy: it has been called "the polite 
Epistle.'' (3) Its rhetorical finish. Most 
of Paul's letters are distinguished for 
strength and directness; this betrays the 
scholarly culture of a man who had gradu- 
ated from the University of Jerusalem. 
(4) It is the only one of his letters addressed 
to a layman. The others are either general, 
parochial or pastoral. (5) It was written 
with Paul's own hand. In other cases he 

144 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

made use of an amanuensis ; which was nec- 
essary not only by reason of his age and in- 
firmities but because he was a prisoner in 
bonds. Here, however, the writing is his 
very own ; and his friendship for Philemon 
is emphasized by that fact. It is safe to say 
the lines were uncertain and the characters 
rude ; but what would we not give to see that 
tremulous autograph, ^^I, Paul, with mine 
own hand"; '^The grace of our Lord Jesus 
Christ be with your spirit. ' ' 

In this letter Philemon is enjoined to re- 
ceive his former slave and forgive all. Not 
even the theft must be remembered against 
him. ^^If he hath wronged thee at all," 
writes Paul, ^^or oweth thee aught, put that 
to mine account. I, Paul, write it with mine 
own hand; I will repay it." This sounds 
like a promissory note ; but considering the 
financial status of Paul it could scarcely be 
expected that he would ever pay it. He re- 
minds Philemon, however, that he has a run- 
ning account with him which he proposes to 
draw on: ^^That I say not unto thee that 
thou owest to me even thine own self be- 
sides. ' ' But he engages that Onesimus shall 

145 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

make all possible restitution, saying, ^'He 
who was in time past unprofitable shall now 
be profitable unto thee." Further still he 
enjoins Philemon to receive his slave no 
longer as a slave but as a fellow-Christian, 
saying, ^^If then thou countest me a partner, 
receive him as myself. " Onesimus had for- 
merly been a shiftless bondman ; but hence- 
forth he was to be not only a ^^ brother be- 
loved" but a profit-sharer in the service of 
Christ. Here verily is the Christian spirit ; 
for in this fellowship there is neither Jew 
nor Greek, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor 
free, but Christ is all in all. 

So runs the philosophy of the Gospel. 
Down go the artificial walls of caste ! How 
hard it is for us to realize it ! We are slow 
to admit that blood is thicker than water; 
and that in the atoning blood of Christ a kin- 
ship is created which bridges the gulf be- 
tween prince and peasant, between master 
and man, between the stately housewife and 
Cinderella at her kitchen fire. 

Scene IV. At the doorway of Philemon's 
house in Colosse. 

The critical moment of the runaway's life 

146 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

has come. He has been sustained thus far 
by a Power above his own ; shall that Power 
now fail him ? His heart is in his throat as 
he approaches Philemon's house. He 
knocks; the door opens; he stands face to 
face with his old master. Of what is Phile- 
mon thinking, with that masterful look in 
his eyes ? Of the bastinado ? He takes the 
scroll and opens it. As he reads he changes 
countenance: the angry wrinkles are 
smoothed out; a warm hand is extended, 
^'Welcome, Onesimus, my brother in 
Christ!" 

So ends the story, like the ^^ Mystery of 
Edwin Drood.'' But tradition furnishes a 
sequel ; it says that Onesimus became a faith- 
ful toiler in the shop of Philemon; that he 
lived a consistent Christian life ; that in later 
years he became pastor of the Colossian 
Church, and that he finally sealed his faith- 
fulness with martyrdom, going up to heaven 
in a chariot of fire. 

Scene V. At Heaven's Gate. 

What a meeting between Master and 
slave ! They have been together in glory for 
nineteen hundred years. How little now 

147 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

must seem all differences of birth, of culture 
and adventitious circumstance, such as once 
so widely separated them. 

There are two concluding thoughts that 
press upon us. One is, Progress is a fact. 

The slave-market in Rome was the indus- 
trial center of the world at the beginning of 
the Christian era. The imperial armies went 
forth to conquest and returned with long 
processions of captives who were then ex- 
posed for sale. There were only two thou- 
sand patricians or independent men in the 
city of Rome and half a million slaves. The 
auction block furnished the shops with 
toilers, the arena with gladiators and the 
brothels with inmates. These slaves lived 
like cattle in stalls or ergastulm; and when 
they died they were thrown to the fishes or 
cast into pits. All this was horrible beyond 
words. God knew it ; and he proposed to do 
away with it. But his ways are not our ways. 
Christ came into the world to break every 
chain and bid the oppressed go free. The 
Gospel is full of abolitionism; but not like 
that of John Brown of Osawatomie. There 
is more of patient love and less of battle in 
it. 

148 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

The Kingdom of Heaven is likened to 
leaven which works noiselessly but in due 
time leavens the lump. Our Lord set certain 
great principles in motion which were des- 
tined to bring about the desired result. He 
gave the world his Golden Rule: ^^Do unto 
others as ye would be done by.'' How glori- 
ously that principle has been at work! We 
are told by scientists that leaven is a mass 
of living cells; that fermentation is not 
death and decay but a manifestation of life. 
So is God's love in the world. God is love, 
and love is life. God has manifested himself 
in Christ, who said, ^^I am come that ye 
might have life and that ye might have it 
more abundantly." His Gospel is love 
alive. Its influence is transforming the 
world. Men and nations are drawing closer 
together and seeing face to face and eye to 
eye. We may not precipitate the Golden 
Age ; but we can lend a hand to bring it in. 
We can fall in with those who follow the 
conquering Christ and, by interpreting di- 
vine love in terms of practical life, we may 
hasten the coming of the time when all alike 
shall enter into the glorious liberty of the 
children of God. 

149 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

The world has been drawing nearer and 
nearer to the brotherhood of man as it has 
learned more and more of the Fatherhood 
of God. All civilization is to-day embraced 
within the charmed circle which we call 
Christendom; and of the nations within its 
bomids there is not one which tolerates 
slavery. ^'He that believeth shall not make 
haste.'' 

The other concluding thought is of the 
transforming power of the Gospel. 

In Luther's exposition of this Scripture 
he says ^^We are all Onesimi"; by which I 
suppose he means that we are all fugitives 
from justice; ^^for there is no difference; 
all have sinned and come short of the glory 
of God." We are runaways from truth and 
duty, from conscience and from God: and 
by the mediation of Christ we are brought 
back and reconciled. Christ stands for us 
at the bar of offended Justice ; and the plea 
which he there makes is the very same that 
Paul made for Onesimus; to wit, ^^If this 
man hath wronged thee or oweth thee aught, 
put that to mine account. I, Christ, with 
mine own hand: I will repay it." 

150 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Nor is that all. He proposes to recon- 
struct us ; so that whereas we have been un- 
profitable servants we may now be profitable 
unto God. He turns us right about face. 
He regenerates us by his Spirit ; so that '^old 
things are passed away; behold, all things 
are become new." He who truly submits 
himself to the power of Christ gets a new 
mind, a new heart, a new conscience and a 
new will. Is there any power on earth ex- 
cept the Gospel which can do that? We 
speak of the mystery of regeneration; but 
however mysterious it may be there is no 
denying it. The miracle is constantly going 
on. How often have we seen a drunkard 
taken out of the gutter and set upon his feet 
by the grace of God! How often have we 
seen a forlorn woman taken out of her shame 
and restored to character and self-respect 
by the Gospel! We may not be able to ex- 
plain it ; but there it is. 

Blessed be God for his unspeakable gift I 



151 



XII 
SOSTHENES: "MY BROTHER" 



153 



After this it was noised abroad that Mr. Valiant- 
for-truth was taken with a summons by the same post 
as the other, and had this for a token that the sum- 
mons was true; that his ^^pitcher w^as broken at the 
fountain/' When he understood it he called for his 
friends and told them of it. Then said he, "I am 
going to my Father's; and though with great diflB- 
culty I have got hither, yet now I do not repent me of 
all the trouble I have been at to arrive where I am. 
My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my 
pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can 
get it.'' 



154 



XII 

SOSTHENES: ^^MY BEOTHER'' 

We liave only two passing references to 
this man. But we remember that it was a 
pair of faint footprints in the sand that gave 
Eobinson Crusoe a companion in his lone- 
liness and changed the desolate island of 
Jnan Fernandez into a Republic. 

The first reference to Sosthenes is in the 
year 54, in connection with Paul's second 
missionary journey. On reaching Corinth 
the apostle settled down to an evangelistic 
campaign which lasted a year and a half. 
He began preaching in the synagogue, per- 
suading the Jews that ^Hhis Jesus is the 
Christ." The master of the synagogue, by 
name Crispus, was converted and — losing 
his position, of course — was succeeded by 
Sosthenes, who appears to have been a de- 
voted Jew. 

155 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

This was the beginning of trouble. Paul 
was driven out of the synagogue and made 
his headquarters ^^hard by" in the house of 
one Justus, where many Gentiles were con- 
verted during eighteen months of PauPs 
^ teaching the word of God among them." 
This led to the arrest of Paul on a 
trumped-up charge; and, inasmuch as Sos- 
thenes was in court and conspicuous there 
as the ruler of the synagogue, there is good 
ground for assuming that he was the com- 
plainant in the case. The proceedings are 
recorded thus : 

^^And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the 
Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, 
and brought him to the judgment seat, saying, This 
fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to 
the law. And when Paul was now about to open his 
mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter 
of wrong or wicked lewdness, ye Jews, reason would 
that I should bear with you: but if it be a question 
of words and names and of your law, look ye to it; 
for I will be no judge of such matters. And he drave 
them from the judgment seat." 

This afforded the Gentiles an occasion for 
venting their spleen against the despised 
Jews, of which they took immediate advan- 

156 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

tage by beating Sosthenes ''before the judg- 
ment seaf 

It is safe to say that Sosthenes crept away 
from that disorderly court with a bitter 
heart that day: but possibly the beating 
which he there received was the best thing 
that could have happened to him. It may 
have turned his thoughts toward Paul as a 
fellow-sufferer and moved him toward a 
more reasonable view of the Gospel. This 
is one of the important uses of adversity. 
Simon of Cyrene might never have become a 
Christian but for the fact that the mob on 
Via Dolorosa seized upon him and ''com- 
pelled him to bear the cross.'' Luther was 
converted by the sudden and violent death 
of a companion. Many a prodigal has been 
brought to his senses by a famine in the 
land. 

"Blest be the sorrow, kind the storm 
That drives us nearer home.'' 

In any case, something must have oc- 
curred to reverse the attitude of Sosthenes 
toward Christ; for the next and only time 
we hear of him is five years later, a.d. 59, 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

where he appears as a companion of Paul. 
The First Epistle to the Corinthians, which 
was written at Philippi in that year, begins 
thus: 

Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through 
the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the 
church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are 
sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with 
all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus 
Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Grace be unto 
you, and peace from God our Father and from the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

If this was the same Sosthenes — and I 
see no reason for thinking otherwise — he 
had followed many of his coreligionists into 
the conclusion that ^Hhis Jesus is the 
Christ.'' The man whom Paul could call 
his ^^ brother" must have been very near to 
him. Could it possibly mean that Paul, so 
strenuous in maintaining his own dignity as 
an apostle, was prepared to receive this man 
into the fraternity of ^^the Apostolic succes- 
sion''? If to be an apostle is to be ^^a sent 
one," then all who go in pursuance of the 
Great Commission are apostles by divine 
right. 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

However that may be, it certainly means 
that Sosthenes was a yoke-fellow of Paul's 
in the service of Christ; else how could he 
yoke up with him in a greeting ^^to them that 
are called and sanctified in Christ Jesus"! 
For to what are we ^^ called" but to his serv- 
ice; and unto what are we ^^ sanctified" but 
the holiness that expresses itself in loyalty 
to him ? 

But ^^my brother" means more even than 
that ; it designates the closest tie of personal 
friendship. No man ever craved friendship 
more than Paul ; his letters are heavy vdth 
loneliness whenever no comrade is beside 
him. The handclasp was everything to him. 

If a single lesson only is to be drawn from 
the brief monograph of this man, let it be 
The Importance of Friendship in the Chris- 
tian Life. ^^ Two are better than one: . . . 
for if they fall, the one will lift up his fel- 
low: but woe to him that is alone when he 
f alleth, for he hath not another to help him 
up." 

A youth on coming to the city is naturally 
disposed to clasp hands with almost anybody 
who greets him in a friendly way. It is so 

159 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

lonely in this populous wilderness that the 
first comer is likely to be first served. Yet 
what immeasurable possibilities of good or 
evil influences are in that first handclasp! 
Character, usefulness, happiness, even eter- 
nal destiny may be wrapped up in it. 

A man once bought a parrot of a sea- 
captain and found to his horror that it had 
contracted the habit of swearing. In the 
hope of reforming it he borrowed from a 
pious neighbor another parrot that had been 
taught to say its prayers. The natural thing 
came to pass; both parrots were presently 
engaged in a vigorous competition of pro- 
fanity. 

It is scarcely necessary to say that the 
friend who is to be ^^my brother" must be in 
sympathy with me in the important plans 
and purposes of my life. ^'Can two walk 
together except they be agreed ?" My friend 
must have tastes and ambitions like mine; 
else he cannot be truly responsive to me. We 
must be agreed as to the underlying prin- 
ciples of life. Sympathy suggests the mag- 
net ; antipathy, the repulsion of the negative 
pole. Two persons who are antipathetic 

160 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

may get on comfortably as long as they keep 
their distance ; but they are mutually repel- 
lant at close quarters. 

This is the reason why no Christian can 
wisely strike hands in a covenant of friend- 
ship with one who denies the truth of the 
Gospel, which is the very heart and center 
of his life. To the one Christ is all in all ; 
to the other He hath no form nor comeliness 
and there is no beauty that he should desire 
Him. 

It is recorded in the biography of John 
Angell James that at the age of thirteen he 
was taken out of school and apprenticed to 
a linen-draper. On the first night, on being 
assigned to a dormitory with other appren- 
tices, he waited anxiously as they were re- 
tiring to see whether there were any Chris- 
tians among them. He seemed to be the only 
one. All went to bed without saying their 
prayers; and he, lacking the courage that 
makes heroes, followed the fashion. This 
continued for a fortnight, when an incident 
occurred that changed the whole tenor of his 
Kf e. A new apprentice came who, on retir- 
ing, knelt down beside his bed; and little 

161 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

John did likewise. That was the beginning 
of a lifelong friendship. ^^I shall always 
bless God," he wrote, ^^for the friendship 
of Charley B/' Happy is the Christian 
youth who, in like manner, finds a kindred 
spirit and ^^ grapples him to his soul with 
hooks of steel." 

One Friend there is who stands the test of 
all ordeals and is faithful unto death — aye, 
and beyond it. He is a Friend ' ' that sticketh 
closer than a brother." The proof of his 
fidelity has been put to the utmost strain 
and endured it. 

The friendship of Jonathan for his rustic 
friend David was effectively tried and ap- 
proved when he left the palace and went 
out after David, then an exile hunted like a 
partridge among the hills, and ^^ sought him 
in the wood." This is precisely what Christ 
did for us in our extremity ; when there was 
no eye to pity and no arm to help. He 
^^ sought us in the wood." He made bare 
His arm in our behalf, befriended us, took 
our burden upon Him, died to save us. He 
is a friend in all sorts of weather. His prom- 
ise is, ^^I will never leave thee nor forsake 
thee." 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

Blest friendship of Jesus! It stands all 
tests, endures all trials, triumphs over death 
itself and lasts forever. He is the ^^first- 
born among many brethren," the Elder 
Brother of us all. A friend so true has 
reason to expect fidelity in us. 



163 



XIII 
TITUS: "MY PARTNEK" 



165 



"Come a little way with me, and I will teach thee 
about the way thou must go. Look before thee ; dost 
thou see this narrow way? It was cast up by the 
patriarchs, prophets, Christ and the apostles, and it 
is as straight as a rule can make it. This is the way 
thou must go.'' 



165 



XIII 
TITUS: ^^MY PARTNER'' 

Paul had a warm place in Ms heart for 
earnest youth. Three of his most faithful 
helpers were young men. There was John 
Mark, son of the widow Mary of Jerusalem ; 
who set out with Paul on his first missionary 
journey and, after flinching in the face of 
danger, recovered himself and became as 
unswervingly true as steel. Then Timothy, 
^Hhe gentle youth of Lystra," who was 
chosen to be PauPs courier on his second 
journey, his successor in the pastorate of 
the Ephesian Church and his ^^true yoke- 
fellow" to the very end. And now comes 
Titus, who by reason of his singular tact, 
good judgment and unfailing courage was 
selected for many difficult tasks. 

John Mark was a Jew by lineage; Tim- 
othy was of mixed blood, his father a Greek, 
and his mother a Jewess ; but Titus was an 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

unadulterated pagan (Gal. 2:3), brought up 
to worship the Olympian gods. 

He was one of PauPs converts. This is 
indicated by the words ^^mine own son" 
i(Titus 1:4). Paul was foster-father to all 
the young men referred to : and there is no 
tie of consanguinity so close and tender as 
that which binds the brought soul to the 
bringer. There is an anticipation of the 
very joy of heaven in it. 

I. The first mention of Titus is in con- 
nection with the Council at Jerusalem in 
the year 52. 

This was just after the first missionary 
journey; when the mother church at Jeru- 
salem was insisting that Gentile converts 
must become proselytes to Judaism and sub- 
mit to the requirements of the Levitical law, 
as a sort of half-way house on the way to a 
Christian profession. Paul, as the apostle 
to the Gentiles, felt called upon to champion 
their rights. It was this that took him to the 
Council at Jerusalem. He was accompanied 
by Barnabas his colleague and Titus (Gal. 
2:1-5). There was a special reason for 
taking Titus with him, as we shall see. 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

At this far distance it is scarcely possible 
to realize the vital issues that were involved 
in the conclusions of that early Council. A 
candle was lighted there which was destined 
to throw its beams along all the succeeding 
ages. The question under discussion was 
centered on Titus; who, as it appears, de- 
manded admission to the Church on the sole 
condition of faith. He stood on his two 
feet as the original Non-conformist, declin- 
ing to yield an inch to the Judaizers who as 
Paul says ^^ sought to bring us into bond- 
age.'^ All praise to the courage of this 
young man! Let him line up with Luther 
in the great protest, ^^Here I stand; I can- 
not otherwise ; God help me ! '' For the note 
that rang out in that Council was the very 
same that fifteen centuries later was des- 
tined to await the dormant religious world ; 
namely, the doctrine of Justification by 
Faith, which was then characterized as ^Hhe 
article of a standing or a falling church.'' 

IL The next appearance of Titus was 
eight years later, a.d. 60. A year before this 
Paul had written his First Epistle to the 
Corinthians ; which is the severest of his let- 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

ters. In his absence the members of the Cor- 
inthian Church had fallen into evil ways. 
They had separated into parties, saying ^^I 
am of Paul,'' and ^^I of ApoUos'' and ^^I of 
Cephas.'' Moreover, many had been led 
away by false teachers into all manner of 
fantastic heresies: while still others had 
drifted back into complicity with the wor- 
ship of false gods. One man in particular, 
evidently an influential member of the 
church, was known to be living in shameless 
sin and yet nothing had been done. No won- 
der Paul's letter was filled with burning 
words of reproof. No wonder, either, 
that it stirred up a great commotion in 
the Corinthian Church. So hot was the 
indignation of the people there against Paul 
that it really looked as if they would have 
nothing more to do with him. 

What was to be done ? It was useless for 
Paul to think of going to Corinth in his own 
behalf, since no welcome would await him. 
He might send some one to represent him, 
if only a man of sufficient tact, firmness and 
sound judgment could be found. Titus 
proved to be that man. He went to Corinth 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

and remained long enough to restore faith, 
harmony and discipline among the church 
members there. 

Meanwhile Paul was carrying on an evan- 
gelistic campaign in Ephesus. He had ar- 
ranged to meet Titus at Troas on his return 
from Corinth, and took pains to be there 
at the appointed time: but there were no 
signs of Titus. He improved the time, how- 
ever, by preaching and with signal success. 
*^A great and effectual door'' was open be- 
fore him (2 Cor. 2: 12, 13), but so anxious 
was he to hear from Corinth that he had ^^no 
rest in his spirit." He set out accordingly 
to find Titus. This is the only occasion, so 
far as the record goes, when Paul ever failed 
to enter an open door. 

A happy surprise awaited him. On meet- 
ing with Titus he learned that all the diffi- 
culties in Corinth had been satisfactorily ar- 
ranged, and that the Christians there had 
settled down to fraternal co-operation in 
service. The news was so far beyond what 
Paul had expected or hoped for (''What 
sorrow of a godly sort, what earnest care, 
yea, what clearing of yourselves, what fear, 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

what indignation, what longing, what zeal, 
what avenging!'') that he immediately sat 
down and wrote another letter, the Second 
Epistle to the Corinthians, which is as loving 
and congratulatory as the former Epistle 
was reproachful and severe. 

The credit for this happy adjustment of 
affairs at Corinth was, under God, most 
largely due to Titus, who as Paul's inter- 
mediary had shown himself a diplomatist of 
singular ability. The way was now clear for 
the apostle to carry on his evangelistic work 
without let or hindrance. ^^I am filled with 
comfort," he writes, ^^I am exceeding joy- 
ful. God hath greatly comforted me by the 
coming of Titus." Elsewhere he speaks in 
more enthusiastic terms; ^^ Thanks be unto 
God who always causeth us to triumph in 
Christ!" Old, weary and burdened with 
oft infirmities, he deems himself, in this new 
evidence of sustaining grace, a very con- 
querer, bringing new conquests to the glory 
of God. 

But this was not all that Titus had accom- 
plished at Corinth. While Paul was jour- 
neying hither and yon among the Gentiles, 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

his fellow-countrymen at Jerusalem were 
suffering from famine; and wherever he 
went he besought the Gentile Christians to 
honor the broad-minded fellowship of the 
Gospel by contributing to their need. The 
Corinthians had thus far made an inade- 
quate response to his appeal ; but the report 
of Titus encouraged Paul to renew that ap- 
peal with greater urgency. ^^Now he that 
ministereth seed to the sower increase the 
fruits of your righteousness." Whether 
they complied or not is another matter ; but 
certainly Titus had opened the way for an 
enlargement of their hearts. One thing is 
clear; he believed, as all Christians should, 
that ^^ social service/' while not the primary 
function of the Church, must ever go hand 
in hand with the winning of souls. 

III. The next we hear of Titus is five years 
later (a.d. 65) in the island of Crete. Mean- 
while Paul had been arrested and confined as 
a prisoner in the Praetorian camp at Rome. 
On being brought to trial before Nero he 
was ^'delivered out of the mouth of the 
lion.'' (2 Tim. 4:16, 17.) When released he 
at once prepared for another missionary 

173 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

journey. The ship on which he and his com- 
panions sailed touched at the island of Crete, 
where a few unorganized believers were 
making a brave struggle to maintain their 
Christian life. The people there were no- 
torious for lying, indolence and sensuality: 
which was all the more reason why the Chris- 
tians among them must be cared for. But 
who, in that little group of missionaries, 
could be trusted with so difficult a field? 
Who but Titus ? No doubt the parting cost 
a wrench; but he was left behind, and the 
ship sailed on. 

On reaching Mcopolis the old apostle was 
constrained to rest a while ; and he took the 
occasion to write a letter of instruction and 
encouragement to the young minister in his 
hard parish (the Epistle to Titus). Here 
ends the record of Paul. It was probably in 
Nicopolis that he was rearrested and carried 
back to Rome where, after a brief confine- 
ment in the Mammertine jail, he was led 
forth to his execution under the walls. 

IV. But we have one more reference to 
Titus, though brief and incidental. While 
Paul was in the Mammertine awaiting his 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

second trial he wrote a letter to Timotliy in 
which he begged him to come. Listen to 
the lonely old man: ''Do thy diligence to 
come shortly nnto me. Only Luke (the ever 
faithful physician) is with me. Demas hath 
forsaken me; having loved this present 
world. (Poor Demas; this is all we know 
about him.) Crescens is gone to Galatia (on 
a necessary errand, no doubt, and Titus 
unto Dahnatia." (2 Tim. 4:9, 10.) 

To Dalmatia — a pagan country up among 
the dangerous hills on the border of the 
Adriatic Sea! Why there? Had the wan- 
derlust of Paul taken possession of him? 
Was he gone upon a mission of salvation to 
souls in the regions beyond? If so, all the 
blessings of the Lord go with him ! So shall 
he best perpetuate the influence of his worn- 
out captain. 

One word more before we part company 
with this young man. The word in Greek 
is koinonos, which our translators have aptly 
rendered ^^ partner''; that is a yokefellow 
and profit-sharer in one's business. Now 
listen to Paul: ^^If any do inquire of Titus, 
he is my partner." (2 Cor. 8:23.) Great 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

credentials ! Of no other of his companions 
does he speak in that way. 

And it meant more than to be partner with 
Paul; for to join hands with Christ's work- 
men is to be partner with Christ himself in 
labor of love and patience of hope. The 
time may come when we shall hear further 
of Titus' mission to Dalmatia: in the mean- 
time let us give heed to the injunction, ^^In 
the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening 
withhold not thy hand ; for thou knowest not 
whether shall prosper, either this or that"; 
and let us rest in the promise, ^^He that 
goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious 
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoic- 
ing, bringing his sheaves with him." 



176 



XIV 
PHCEBE: THE ''DEACONESS" 



177 



Then they told him of Mercy, and how she had 
left her town and her kindred to come along with 
Christiana and with her sons. At that the old honest 
man said, ^^Mercy is thy name: by mercy shalt thou 
be sustained and carried through all those difiBculties 
that shall assault thee in thy way." 



178 



XIV 
PHGEBE: THE ^^ DEACONESS" 

It will be remembered that Paul on his 
second missionary journey stopped at Cor- 
inth for an evangelistic campaign of a year 
and a half. There were many converts to 
show for it ; among them such notable ones 
as Aquila and Priscilla, Crispus the ruler of 
the synagogue and Sosthenes his successor, 
Justus in whose house Paul preached after 
being driven out of the synagogue and Gains 
*^mine host/' evidently an influential man. 

Just across the narrow isthmus, not ten 
miles from Corinth, lay the busy seaport 
town of Cenchrea, where Paul probably 
preached as in other suburban places. Pres- 
ently (a.d. 55) a church was organized 
there, and Phoebe became a member of it. 

Five years later Paul was again in Cor- 
inth and while there wrote his Epistle to 
the Romans; an inspired masterpiece of 
logic which struck the keynote of orthodoxy 

179 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

for the universal church through all the suc- 
ceeding ages. It chanced that Phoebe was 
just then meditating a journey to Rome and 
the conveying of this Epistle was entrusted 
to her. 

The last chapter of the Epistle is devoted 
to salutations: it begins thus: 

^^I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a 
servant of the church which is at Cenchrea: that ye 
receive her in the Lord as becometh saints, and that 
ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of 
you: for she hath been a succorer of many, and of 
myself also.'' 

By this it would appear, -firsts that Phoebe 
was a woman of some consequence, since she 
had planned a long journey on business of 
her own : second^ that she was prominent as 
^^a servant'' in the affairs of the Cenchrean 
church. Third, that she held an official po- 
sition of some sort connected with the relief 
of the poor. The Greek word here rendered 
^^ succorer" is prostatism literally, one who 
stands by in case of need. In classical Greek 
the word was used of the trainer in the 
Olympic games, who stood by the athletes to 
see that they were properly trained and not 

180 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

overtrained and rightly girded when they 
lined up for the signal. 

In my first parish I had a Board of Dea- 
cons who were willing but comparatively in- 
efficient, owing to the fact that their access 
to the mothers and children who needed 
assistance was greatly limited in the neces- 
sity of the case. We solved the difficulty by 
appointing two women to supplement their 
work ; with the result not only that the inner- 
most places of needy homes were made 
accessible, but that the Deacons themselves 
were greatly helped and encouraged, and 
that the Diaconate was no longer "sl fifth 
wheel," but a most efficient arm of the 
church service. That was forty years ago; 
and the plan continues in that parish to this 
day. 

By this brief reference to Phoebe we are 
moved to a consideration of the position of 
women generally in the Christian Church. 

It is a singular fact — and unaccountable 
without a due regard to the divine origin of 
Christianity — that the only countries where 
womanhood is duly honored are those em- 
braced within the charmed circle known as 

181 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

^^Christendom," that is, such as are under 
the luminous shadow of the Cross. 

The first of the Messianic prophecies, 
uttered at the gateway of Paradise imme- 
diately after the fall, announced that the 
coming Christ was to be "the seed of wo- 
man' '; and in the fulness of time "the Lord 
of all good Christians was of a woman 
born." By that supernatural birth all wo- 
manhood was honored. 

"And Mary said, 'My soul doth magnify the Lord, 
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour; for 
he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. 
For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall 
call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to 
me great things; and holy is his name!'" 

In the ministry of Jesus he constantly and 
consistently honored the ^^ministering wo- 
men'' who attended upon him and served 
him in manifold ways. Compare his atti- 
tude with that of Mohammed, whose Surah 
on womanhood in the Koran is entitled, 
^^The Cow," and whose heaven is peopled 
with harems of houris for men. Or compare 
it with the treatment of women in India, 
where a woman's only hope of heaven is in 

182 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

the remote contingency that some time, in 
the endless circle of transmigrations, she 
may chance to be born a man ! 

The attitude of the apostles in this partic- 
ular was like that of their Master. Eead 
again the story of John's foster-care of the 
bereaved mother of Jesus, in John 19 : 25-27. 
Read of the many services rendered by wo- 
men to Paul in his missionary work and his 
grateful tributes to them. 

At this point it is likely that some one is 
thinking of what Paul said to the women of 
Corinth and Ephesus about the shame of 
worshipping ^^with their heads unveiled'' 
(1 Cor. 11: 5) and about ^^ keeping silence" 
in the churches. (1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2: 
11, 12.) Let it be remembered, however, 
that in Ephesus there were thousands of so- 
called ^^priestesses" whose persons were con- 
secrated to the licentious worship of the 
Oljnnpian gods, that thousands of women of 
like character were devoted to ^^ great Diana 
of the Ephesians, ' ' and that their abomina- 
ble calling was advertised by their uncov- 
ered heads and their vociferous part in the 
temple rites; and Paul's words will appear 

183 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

in a more reasonable light. The veil of mod- 
esty is the peculiar adornment of a Christian 
woman. 

In the Gospel she has a blessed opportu- 
nity of serving in three distinct coigns of 
vantage. 

The f^rst is the home. God be praised for 
the Christian home! What a realm for a 
queen! ^^Wife," ^^ mother/^ ^^ daughter,'' 
^^ sister'' — what sacred memories gather 
around those words in Christian lands ! It 
is so everywhere. An American tourist and 
his Turkish dragoman were once passing 
through Cairo when an old woman spoke to 
the dragoman, who immediately turned 
and spat in her face. In answer to the 
American's remonstrance he said, ^^Pooh, 
what should I do? She's my mother!" 
Would that be possible, think you, in any 
country where the Gospel holds sway? 

The second of the peculiar spheres of use- 
fulness open to women in Christian lands is 
Charity. Who shall do justice to their ^4a- 
bor of love and patience of hope"? There 
was a woman, back in the time of the Cri- 
mean war, who used to make her way at 

184 



PAULAS COMPANIONS 

night among the wounded with a lamp in 
hand, administering ^^ first aid" to suffering 
bodies and souls. I can remember seeing her 
picture and under it the familiar name by 
which the grateful soldiers knew her, ^^The 
Lady with the Lamp/' How many such 
ministering women there have been; how 
many under the blessed shadow of the Red 
Cross in these last days ! 

The third and most important sphere of 
woman's work is in the Church: sometimes 
as deaconesses; more frequently as ^^proph- 
etesses'' or Biblical teachers, like the 
daughters of Philip (Acts 21 : 9) . The Sun- 
day Schools of Christendom are (strange 
word!) manned by women. And what shall 
be said of their efficiency in the great mis- 
sionary propaganda at home and abroad? 
The mothers and daughters in the zenanas 
of the Orient are accessible to their devoted 
^^succorers"; many have been their con- 
quests for Christ. ^^Give them of the fruit 
of their hands, and let their own works 
praise them in the gates!" 

Now, behold, I show unto you a great mys- 
tery. In view of all the foregoing how is it 

185 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

that any thoughtful woman in this land of 
light can refrain from loving and serving 
Christ! The most seemly tributes she can 
pay in return for his benefactions are 
neither tears of remembrance nor spices for 
his anointing, but the gold and myrrh and 
frankincense of grateful love and devotion. 
So let all the women of Israel, like Mary of 
Magdala, fall down before him with the cry 
^'Eahhoni! my Master!" 



186 



XV 
A BODY GUARD 



187 



'This book will make a traveler of thee, 
If by its counsel thou wilt ruled be." 

John Bunyan 



188 



XV 

A BODY GUARD 

Paul set out on his third missionary jour- 
ney in the year 53. On reaching Ephesus he 
found a field ripe for the sickle and re- 
mained three years. He then pushed on by 
easy stages to Corinth, where he spent three 
fruitful months. He was now forty-seven 
years of age and physically a worn man. 
This was perhaps the reason for his assem- 
bling a group of trusty friends to accompany 
him from then on. (Acts 20: 1-4.) 

To begin with, there was faithful Tim- 
othy, his spiritual son. The next was So- 
pater, a native of Berea and therefore 
probably a Biblical expert. Then Secundus 
of Thessalonica, of whom we know nothing 
more. The next, Tychicus, was destined to 
prove himself a faithful companion and 
efficient servitor in many ways. (Eph. 
6 : 21 ; Col. 4 : 7 ; 2 Tim. 4 : 12.) Trophimus 
was soon obliged to drop out of the company, 
being left behind at Miletus sick. (2 Tim. 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

4:20.) Old Gaius of Derb had been bap- 
tized by Paul (1 Cor. 1: 14) and never for- 
got it. He showed his gratitude not only by 
entertaining Paul but by suffering with and 
for him. (Acts 19:29). And finally there 
was Aristarchus of Thessalonica, a fellow- 
sufferer (Acts 19 : 29) : who was with Paul 
on his last eventful voyage (Acts 27 : 2) and 
shared the hardships of his weary imprison- 
ment at Eome. (Col. 4: 10; Philemon 24.) 

I. Observe that these seven were nobodies, 
that is, their achievements were not in the 
lime-light. Practically all that we know of 
them is that they were associated with Paul 
in missionary work. But that is enough. 
Their virtues and accomplishments are re- 
corded in heaven. *^The Master praises: 
what are men?'' 

II. Observe how Paul, in gathering this 
group of helpers about him, anticipated one 
of the most important conclusions of our 
modern Missionary Boards, namely, the 
Value of the Phalanx. 

Time was when men, and occasionally wo- 
men, went out all alone with their message 
to the regions beyond ; but never now. Ex- 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

perience has taught the importance of (to 
use a good old word now obsolete) '^opitu- 
lation." 

Little wonder that Paul's heart sank 
within him when, standing alone in the mar- 
ket-place of Athens, he beheld on every side 
the evidences of ^'a city wholly given to idol- 
atry'': little wonder that he longed '^for 
Silas and Timotheus to come to him with all 
speed." By the time he was ready to pur- 
sue his third missionary journey he had 
come to fully realize the importance of hav- 
ing a competent staff of helpers. They ad- 
vanced to their work like a Spartan phalanx, 
shoulder to shoulder, with shields over- 
lapped: and their co-operation yielded a 
harvest which could never have been gath- 
ered from the seed-sowing of a lone man. 

A group of young Christians at Oxford 
got together at the flood-tide of infidelity 
two hundred years ago for mutual prayer 
and conference. They were dubbed ^^The 
Holy Club"; but in spite of the jeering op- 
position of their fellow-students they went 
right on. And how far that little candle 
threw its beams! At graduation they 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

parted for their several ways; but the tie 
that bound George Whitefield and the Wes- 
ley brothers and four other members of the 
Holy Club was never broken. Out of that 
little group issued radiating lines of sanc- 
tijfied power that eventuated in the organiza- 
tion of the great Methodist Church, whose 
lines have since gone forth into all the 
world ! 

In the middle of the last century a few 
students in one of our Theological Semi- 
naries, hearing of the desperate need of the 
Gospel on our Western frontiers, organized 
what they called ''The Dakota Band/' 
pledging themselves to home missions. On 
graduating they turned their faces toward 
the destitute fields of the Dakotas, keeping 
up a round-robin of mutual prayer; and 
to-day hundreds of cross-tipped spires pay 
tribute to their joint faithfulness. The 
Dutch have a true saying, Een dracM maakt 
macht: ''in union there is strength.'' 

III. But after all observe how the con- 
straint of duty rests on the lone man. Each 
for himself must determine how far and how 
faithfully he will meet the behest of the 

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PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

Master, ^^Go, evangelize!'' It is the busi- 
ness of all businesses for those who are in 
covenant with him. Not ministers only, but 
Christians all and several, are bound to heed 
it. 

^^I'm going to China," said a young girl in 
my congregation fifteen years ago. ^^But," 
said I, ^^ wouldn't it be better to wait a while 
and prepare yourself?" She answered, '^I 
can't wait, because they can't wait. For 
want of the Gospel they are going out into 
the dark! I know I'm not educated; but I 
know what they don't know, that Christ died 
for them ; and I must go and tell them about 
it." I had my doubts then; but I have none 
now. On my study table is a picture of a 
woman worker in the China Inland Mis- 
sion with a group of young converts gath- 
ered about her. ^^The end crowns the 
work." I know now that Miss Jennie Wil- 
liams did better to follow the Lord's counsel 
than mine. His way is always the right way. 

In one of my classes at Princeton Semi- 
nary was a yoimg man with a consuming 
zeal for missions. He enlisted to go to In- 
dia. The day before his graduation he said 

193 



PAUL'S COMPANIONS 

to his classmates, ^^If it be the Lord's will I 
should like to spend forty years in giving 
the Gospel to the heathen; and then if he 
wants me I'll be ready to go." He sailed 
with his young wife and reached his desti- 
nation just as a native insurrection broke 
out. The next day he fled with other mis- 
sionaries to a near-by cave, where three days 
afterward they were overtaken by the mob 
and all cruelly slain. He had asked for 
forty years of service: only a scant four 
days were given him ! But who shall meas- 
ure the outcome of those four days ^ When 
his story was told in the Seminary a dozen 
students were ready to take his place. ' ' The 
worker dies, but the work goes on." Let us 
rather say that because the work goes on 
the worker never dies. His influence sur- 
vives him, like the song of the reaper that 
Wordsworth heard at evening : 

"I listened till I had my fill; 
And as I struggled up the hill 
The music in my soul I bore 
Long -after it was heard no more." 

The lesson that we get from the little 
group of untrumpeted ones who accompa- 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

nied Paul on his third journey is the blessed- 
ness and imperativeness of the Great Com- 
mission. It may be that some inconspicuous 
Sopater or Secundus now reading these lines 
is asking ^^What can I do^' If so let him 
(or her) frame that question a little differ- 
ently and send it upward instead of inward, 
as Paul did, ^^Lord, what wilt thou have me 
to do?'' And the answer will surely be 
forthcoming. The way to the foreign field 
is not open to all ; but no one is exempt from 
the obligation of missions. A missionary 
is literally "a sent one." Jesus said to his 
disciples, ^^As the Father hath sent me, even 
so send I you." What for? ^^ To seek and 
to save." So then as followers of Christ we 
all belong to the Life-saving Service ; and if 
we have hitherto been indolently content 
with the assurance of a personal salvation, 
it behooves us now to get busy for our Lord. 

"Hark! the voice of Jesus calling, 
'Who will go and work to-day? 
Fields are white, and harvest waiting; 
Who will bear the sheaves away?' 

"If you cannot speak like angels, 
If you cannot preach like Paul, 

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PAULAS COMPANIONS 

You can tell the love of Jesus, 
You can say, ^He died for all.' 

'Take the task He gives you gladly, 
Let His work your pleasure be; 
Answer quickly when He calleth, 
'Here am I! Send me, send me! 



M> 



The veterans of the G. A. R. meet fre- 
quently around their camp-fires to ex- 
change reminiscences of the Civil War. At 
such times I have seen their faces flush and 
their old eyes kindle as if with a replenish- 
ment of youth. Are there such camp-fires 
in heaven ? If so what tales have Paul and 
his Body Guard to tell — of perils oft by 
land and sea, of prison-damp and loneliness, 
of hairbreadth escapes, of victories won, of 
hoping for the service chevron, of visions of 
cloudy pillars in the air which were not 
clouds but fluttering garments of the White 
Christ leading on! And what greetings 
must be theirs as they pass along the golden 
streets: ^^I from Berea and I from Philippi 
and I from Troas and I from Ephesus, 
thank you ! " These are stars in their crown 
of rejoicing. God grant there may be such 
stars for us ! 

196 



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